Conference Summary

Abstract

In trying to gain some perspective on this meeting, I was struck by the immense variety of physics that we have considered over the week; physics ranging from extreme microscopic quantum mechanical, as in discussions of the equation of state of dense matter, and weak interaction processes, to the very fundamental mathematical theory of gravitation with full complex geometry, to problems of stellar evolution and collapse, fundamental hydrodynamics, all the way through to neutron star and black hole formation, and finally to observational fields such as gamma ray bursts, and to the future observational field of gravitational radiation. It is a rich and alive tapestry that we have examined during this quite intense week. We have also seen the beginning of the coming together, within the arena of the study of astrophysical objects, of these often quite disjoint areas, particularly gravitational and nuclear astrophysics.

Supported in part by NSF Grant DMR81-17182.