Advanced computing and analysis techniques in physics research. 7th international workshop, ACAT 2000, Batavia, IL, USA, October 16--20, 2000 (Q2754880)

[The articles of this volume will not be indexed individually.]NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEFrom the prepace: At the turn of the last century, the discovery of the electron, radioactivity, quantum theory and the theory of relativity opened up a new realm of physics that led to an explosive growth in Science and Technology in the twentieth century. Now at the dawn of this century and a new millennium new physics might be revealed again! Over the next decade or two, an impressive array of scientific instruments at the Tevatron, RHIC (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) and LHC (Large Hadron collider), LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory) and SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey), to name a few, will usher in the most comprehensive program of study of the fundamental forces of nature and the structure of the universe. Major discoveries are anticipated. But, it is our conviction that the pace of discoveries will be severely impeded unless a concerted effort is made to deploy and employ advanced computing techniques to handle, process and analyze the unprecedented amounts of data. It is against this backdrop that ACAT 2000, the VII International Workshop on ``Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Research'' was held at Fermilab during October 16-20, 2000.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe first workshop in the series was held in Lyon, France, in 1990 under the name ``New Computing Techniques in Physics Research'' and was organized by Denis Perret-Gallix (LAPP, Annecy). Following this, the workshop was held in Europe at approximately 18-month intervals. The ACAT 2000 workshop was the first to be held in the US with the updated name and with expanded scope. With the new name and acronym our intention was to emphasize the importance of the advanced analysis techniques in meeting the scientific challenges of the coming decade. The workshop also obtained a new logo which was inspired in part by the T-shirt Richard Feynman helped design for the Thinking Machines Inc. (Feynman worked on the Connection Machine at the Thinking Machines Inc. during the summer of 1983; Physics Today, February 1989).NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe workshop followed four main tracks: Artificial Intelligence (neural networks and other adaptive multivariate methods); Innovative Software Algorithms and Tools; Symbolic Problem Solving and Very Large Scale Computing. The workshop covered applications in high energy physics, astrophysics, accelerator physics and nuclear physics. About 200 physicists and computer scientists from all over the world came together to present their work and to discuss new ideas and initiatives. Besides the plenary, parallel and poster sessions, the workshop included working group and panel discussion sessions focused on particular topics uses of C++, Large Scale Simulations, Advanced Analysis Environments and Worldwide Computing. The working group and panel sessions allowed informal presentations and vigorous and stimulating discussions.