Epilog
The breadth of AMO science and its impact have made the discipline attractive to a large number of support agencies. Support comes mainly from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Additional support is realized through active research programs at federal and industrial laboratories.
AMO science is dominated by the work of single investigators and small groups. This mode of operation, often called “small science”— in contrast to large-scale science such as experimental high-energy physics and space-based science—has fostered the creativity and innovation that produce notable discoveries year after year. Students trained in AMO science graduate with a vast range of skills and capabilities, making them valuable contributors to our economy. The vitality of AMO science as a fundamental science as well as a fertile training ground has contributed to the recent birth and expansion of AMO programs in academic institutions across the United States.
We continue to be dazzled by the progress of technology and its huge impact on the economy, health, environment, national security, and homeland defense. It is not possible to fathom the wonderful new ideas that will invariably arise from the basic research currently under way. But more important than the tangible aspects of the progress brought about by discoveries and inventions is the pioneering spirit enkindled by scientific exploration. This pioneering spirit is the key to our nation’s continuing security, health, and economic success.
IMAGE CREDITS (in order of appearance)
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Courtesy of National Institute of Standards and Technology (photographer: M. Helfer) |
Inside cover: |
Courtesy of W. Ketterle, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; I. Bloch, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and T.W. Hänsch, Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik; M. Kasevich,Yale University; and W.D. Phillips, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
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Courtesy of Columbia University |
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Courtesy of J. Owers-Bradley, University of Nottingham |
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Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Courtesy of Air Force Research Laboratory |
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Courtesy of H.J. Kimble, California Institute of Technology |
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Reprinted, by permission, from Nature 406, p. 353 (2000), © 2000 Macmillan Magazines Ltd. |
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Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Courtesy of Jimmy K. Chin, Photographer |
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Courtesy of J. Owers-Bradley, University of Nottingham |
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Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Courtesy of K. Kirby, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
Courtesy of U.S. Global Change Research Program |
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Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Courtesy of W. Cottingame, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
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Courtesy of L.R. Narasimhan, University of California, Los Angeles |
Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories |
Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories |
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Courtesy of Air Force Research Laboratory |
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Courtesy of H.J. Kimble, California Institute of Technology |
Courtesy of Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries |
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© Harold & Esther Edgerton Foundation, 2002, reprinted courtesy of Palm Press, Inc. |
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Courtesy of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
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Courtesy of National Institute of Standards and Technology |
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Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Courtesy of P. Meystre, University of Arizona |
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Photo by Paul Kwiat and Michael Reck. © Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Vienna |