Springer The Origin and Evolution of Neutron Stars: Proceedings of the 125th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union Held in Nanjing, China, May ... Astronomical Union Symposia, 125)

The publication of this volume coincides with the 55th anni versary of the discovery of the neutron and Landau's suggestion at the time that one could make stars out of the new particles. This year also marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the detection of Sco X-I, the first known X-ray binary system, and follows by just twenty years Jocelyn Bell Burnell's discovery of that "little bit of scruff" o~ her chart record that led to the recognition of radio pulsars. As Q. Y. Qu, President of Nanjing University noted in his welcoming address, however, Chinese astronomers have been observing the consequences of neutron star formation for several millenia. It was appropriate, then, that this Symposium, the first Interna tional Astronomical Union meeting ever to be held in the Peoples Republic of China, be devoted to the topic of neutron stars. IAU Symposium Number 125, "The Origin and Evolution of Neutron Stars", was convened on the morning of May 26, 1986 at Nanj ing University, Nanjing, Peoples Republic of China. One hundred and thirty-nine participants from fifteen countries, including over eighty-five scientists who were visiting China for the first time, met each day for the following week to discuss where neutron stars come from, how they evolve, and where they go. The meeting was judged, by unanimous acclaim of the participants, to be a scienti fic, cultural, and culinary success. Review `... a valuable reference source for researchers with an interest in neutron stars, and on informative introduction to the field for the graduate student and for the specialist from another discipline wishing to gain experience. ' Physics Briefs, 10 (1988) `In these days of prolific publication, it is a relief to find a complete picture of the state of research in a well-defined subject. ... As usual, the editors, the IAU, and Reidel have done a good job, and we have another excellent conference report, which I recommend without reserve. ' Journal of the British Astronomical Association (1988)