Symmetry and Modern Physics: Yang Retirement Symposium State University of New York, Stony Brook 21 - 22 May 1999

C N Yang, one of the greatest physicists of the 20th Century, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1957, jointly with T D Lee, for their investigation of the relationship (parity symmetry) between left- and right-handed states, leading to a discovery that astounded the world of physics — the nonconservation of parity by elementary particles and their reactions. With R L Mills, he created the concept of non-abelian gauge theories, the foundation of the modern description of elementary particles and forces. Professor Yang has worked on a wide range of subjects in physics, but his abiding interests have been symmetry principles, particle physics, and statistical mechanics.In 1999, a symposium was held at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to mark the retirement of C N Yang as Einstein Professor and Director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics, and to celebrate his many achievements. A noteworthy selection of the papers presented at the symposium appears in this invaluable volume in honor of Professor Yang. C.N. Yang, one of the greatest physicists of the 20th Century, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1957, jointly with T.D. Lee, for their investigation of the relationship (parity symmetry) between left- and right-handed states, leading to a discovery that astounded the world of physics - the nonconservation of parity by elementary particles and their reactions. With R.L. Mills, he created the concept of non-abelian gauge theories, the foundation of the modern description of elementary particles and forces. Professor Yang has worked on a wide range of subjects in physics, but his abiding interests have been symmetry principles, particle physics, and statistical mechanics. In 1999, a symposium was held at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to mark the retirement of C.N. Yang as Einstein Professor and Director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics, and to celebrate his many achievements. A noteworthy selection of the papers presented at the symposium appears in this invaluable volume in honor of Professor Yang Foreword; CONTENTS; A Conservative Revolutionary; Renormalization of Gauge Theories and Master Equation; 1. Introduction; 2. Classical Gauge Action and Quantization; 3. Renormalization; 4. BRS Symmetry; 5. Renormalization and Master Equation; High Tc Superconductivity: Symmetries and Reflections; References; When Atoms Behave as Waves: Bose-Einstein Condensation and the Atom Laser; 1. Introduction; 2. BEC and Condensed Matter Physics; 3. Spin-Polarized Hydrogen; 4. Laser Cooling; 5. The Effort at MIT 1990-1996; 6. The Magic of Matter Waves; 7. Outlook; References; A Theory of Gamma-Ray Bursts 1. Introduction2. Simple Circuitry; 3. Energetics of GRBs; 4. Comparison with Numerical Calculation; 5. An Even More Schematic Model; 6. Previous Models; 7. Soft X-ray Transients as Relics of Hypernovae and GRB; 8. Discussion and Conclusion; References; Reconsideration of a Question Posed by Frank Yang at the 1973 Bonn Conference; Direct T-Violation Measurements and T-Odd Effects in Decay Experiments; 1. Introduction; 2. Study of Discrete Symmetries in the Neutral Kaon System; 3. CPLEAR Direct Measurement of Time-Reversibility; 4. T-Odd Effects Versus T-Reversal Violation; 5. Conclusions Possibilities for Spin Physics at High Energy1. Introduction; 2. Proton Spin Dynamics; 3. Resonances; Research and Development Towards X-ray Free Electron Lasers; 1. The Basic Principles of FEL; 2. High Gain FEL SASE and Gain Length; 3. Relations Between the Gain Length and the Electron Beam Quality; 4. Proposals of X-Ray FELs the Experimental Confirmation of the SASE Theory and the Lack of Temporal Coherence in SASE; 5. Approaches to Improve the Temporal Coherence and the Basic Principle of High Gain Harmonic Generation (HGHG); 6. The HGHG Experiments at the BNL; References Remarks on Yang-Mills TheoryF. J. Dyson Presiding April 30 1954; Conservation of Isotopic Spin and Isotopic Gauge Invariance; Isotopic Gauge Transformation; Field Equations; 1954 Yang-Mills Theory; Experiment; The 0-T Puzzle Revisited; References; Remarks for ITP Presentation C.N. Yang Symposium; References; Program; Participants; Scientific and Related Works of Chen Ning Yang I am delighted to have this opportunity to sing the praises of my old friend and colleague Frank Yang.