May 2005

With this Circular #2, we are very pleased to invite you to the XVIIth Particles and Nuclei International Conference (PANIC 05) that will be held October 24-28, 2005, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. The program will address a broad range of topics involving strong and electro-weak interactions as they impact particle, nuclear, and astrophysics. It will include both theoretical and experimental issues and the facilities needed to explore them. Special attention will be devoted to recent results and new directions of research in these fields.

We report here on the scientific program and the organization of the conference. All this material can be found on the conference website.

1. Scientific Program - Plenary

   The Scientific Program Committee is well advanced in formulating the program of the conference. The following program of plenary talks defines the scope of the physics that the conference will address. Although all plenary speakers have been contacted, a few are not confirmed.

   Program for plenary talks:

   See the program for a current list of Plenary Talks.

2. Scientific Program - Parallel

   A program of parallel sessions is being organized to address the following topics. A more complete definition of these topics is posted on the Conference website. The confirmed conveners are listed here. This list will be updated on the website.

   See the program for a current list of parallel talks.

3. Abstracts

   Oral presentations in the parallel sessions will be selected by the conveners from abstracts for contributed talks submitted by the conference participants. Instructions for submission of these abstracts are posted on the conference website. Abstracts can be accepted via the web, currently in plain text or in LaTex, and soon in MS Word (Rich Text Format). The deadline for receiving these abstracts is August 17, 2005. Please indicate which topic section your contribution should be directed toward. Please contact the conveners if you have specific questions.

   Following August 17, the parallel session conveners will review the contributions and will notify the authors whether they have been selected for oral presentation, or where possible, for presentation in the Poster Session.

4. Venue and Organization

   The conference hotel will be the Santa Fe Hilton. Plenary sessions will be held nearby in the Sweeney Convention Center, while parallel sessions will be held at both facilities. The conference will also include a poster session, receptions, a banquet, and computer facilities.

   The Co-Chairmen for the conference are Peter D. Barnes and Martin D. Cooper of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Local Organizing Committee, the Scientific Program Committee, and the International Advisory Committee are listed below.

   The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics is sponsoring PANIC 05 at Santa Fe in 2005. To secure IUPAP sponsorship, the organizers have provided assurance that PANIC 05 will be conducted in accordance with IUPAP principles as stated in the ICSU-Document "Universality of Science" (sixth edition, 1989) regarding the free circulation of scientists for international purposes. In particular, no bona fide scientist will be excluded from participation on the grounds of national origin, nationality, or political considerations unrelated to science.

   Institutional sponsorship of the conference includes Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Jefferson Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

   The program structure of the conference can be found on the conference website.

   In addition, there will be an evening public science lecture.

5. Registration and Accommodations

   The registration process is being managed by Complete Conference Coordinators, Inc. and can be accessed at the conference website.

   The registration fee for the conference is $450 (U.S. dollars), until September 12, and will cover physics related activities and the organization of the conference. It does not include accommodations and excursions related to the social program. Please register early since the late registration fee (after September 12) will be $525 (U.S. dollars) and will increase to $575 on site.

   Blocks of rooms have been reserved for conference participants at three hotels at reduced conference rates. The hotels are within walking distance of the Sweeney Convention Center, the conference hotel, and local restaurants. These blocks of hotel rooms will be held until September 12, 2005.

   The registration process will give participants an opportunity to request one of the hotels, to order excursion tickets, and to indicate an interest in the Companion's Program.

6. Student Program

   The PANIC 05 Student Program is intended to provide an enhanced conference experience for undergraduate and graduate students. Students will have the opportunity to present their research in a poster session to the larger professional community and to one another.

   Students will attend the full conference with a student registration fee of $200 (if registered by September 12). After September 12, the student registration fee becomes $275 ($325 for on-site registration). Events will include a dedicated poster session for the presentation of student research, introductions to hot topics discussed at the meeting, opportunities to converse with other students, faculty, and senior scientists, and other activities scheduled throughout the meeting to benefit undergraduate and graduate students.

   Travel and lodging awards will be granted to top applicants. Students will be notified of their awards by September 2, 2005.

   Requirements:
   Enrollment in a course of undergraduate or graduate study in physics or a related field. Completion of courses in classical mechanics, E&M, and calculus. Instruction in quantum mechanics and differential equations is recommended, as is experience in some type of student research program.

   Important Dates:
   Application deadline: August 17, 2005
   Award notification: September 2, 2005

7. Travel and US Visas

   The southwestern part of the United States is renowned for its scenic beauty and cultural attractions. Because of the large distances between cities, automobile travel to Santa Fe can require substantial commitments in time. Most participants will choose to fly to the city of Albuquerque, N.M. and then travel by commercial shuttle or rental car to Santa Fe (60 minutes). Specific travel advice is available under 'Transportation' on the conference website.

   For the past two years, international travel to the United States has become significantly more awkward because of the visa process now in place. The service at individual U.S. embassies and consulates seems to vary considerably. Although the American Physical Society and the American Academy of Science have brought this problem to the attention of the U. S. State Department, the slow response of the system appears to continue. We strongly recommend that international conference participants applying for US visas should start the process as soon as possible, indeed a significant number of attendees have already started this process. Please see the advice and materials available on the conference website. We will attempt to monitor this process and suggest that individuals who are encountering difficulties should contact Joseph Onstott [e-mail onstott@lanl.gov, telephone 01-(505)-665-9124, fax 01-(505)-665-3644].

   Participation by students, young physicists, and physicists from developing countries will be strongly encouraged at this Conference. Individuals in this group seeking some travel support, inexpensive housing, and help with the registration fee should contact Joseph Onstott (e-mail onstott@lanl.gov).

8. Social Program

   In the program of the conference Wednesday afternoon, October 26, is reserved for conference outings and personal time. The conference banquet will be held the evening of Thursday, October 27, 2005. Details regarding the sale of tickets for these events will be provided on the conference website/registration process.

   1. A. Wednesday Excursions The option to join any of four organized excursions will be provided through the conference registration process. The destinations are 1) Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant (for lunch), with visits to local Spanish villages, and the famous Santuario de Chimayo chapel; 2) Bandelier National Monument for a visit to an Indian history museum and a visit to Indian cliff dwellings; 3) Los Alamos, NM, for a visit to the local History and Science museums near Los Alamos National Lab.; and 4) Tent Rocks Monument for a hiking excursion. These are described on the conference website. In each case, buses and guides will be provided for a fee of $45. The buses are scheduled to depart for these 4-5 hour outings, about mid-day on Wednesday.
   2. B. Companions Program A program of meetings and excursions has been planned for interested companions during their stay in Santa Fe. This starts with a complementary coffee hour followed by a walking tour of old Santa Fe on Monday morning. Subsequent events include a Cooking Class and Tasting, an excursion to Taos, and outings to local museums. Companions are of course invited to join the excursions scheduled for Wednesday afternoon and should sign up for tickets through the registration process.
   3. C. Banquet A reception and conference banquet are scheduled for Thursday evening, October 27. Companions can purchase banquet tickets on the conference website through the registration process. Since space will be limited, these are available on a first-come first-serve basis.

9. Communications

   Individuals interested in attending the conference can obtain additional information and can register at the conference website http://PANIC 05.lanl.gov starting January 2005. Special inquiries should be directed by e-mail to PANIC05@lanl.gov or by contacting Joseph Onstott [e-mail onstott@lanl.gov, telephone 01-(505)-665-9124, fax 01-(505)-665-3644]. <-- Josephine Roybal (phone: 505/665-1482, fax: 505/665-7920).-->

10. Important Dates and Deadlines

    Applications for US Visas	January 2005
    Conference Circular #2	May 2005
    Deadline for Contributed Abstracts	August 17, 2005
    Deadline for Student Program Applications	August 1, 2005
    Student Award Notifications	September 5, 2005
    Registration (lowest rate) before	September 12, 2005
    Hotel Registration (conference rates) before	September 12, 2005

11. Satellite Meetings

    The following satellite meetings and long-range planning workshops are being organized around PANIC 05 for the convenience of the participants.

    1. RHIC Planning Meeting

       A two-day satellite meeting immediately following PANIC 05, October 29-30, 2005 is being organized to present the status of the RHIC II and eRHIC projects. The meeting will provide an overview of the exciting physics opportunities and the accelerator challenges these two projects present to the wider physics community.

       The site of the meeting will be the Hilton Hotel in Santa Fe. Information about registration and the scientific agenda are available on the PANIC 05 website.

       Organizers: S. Aronson (Chair), A. Deshpande (Co-Chair), D. Kharzeev, D. Lowenstein, T. Ludlam, S. Mioduszewski, T. Roser, P. Steinberg, T. Ullrich, R. Venugopalan, W. Vogelsang

    2. Neutrino Physics Planning Meeting

       A two-day planning meeting is being organized to discuss future directions in neutrino physics. It will follow PANIC 05 and will be held in Santa Fe at the Hilton Hotel on October 29-30, 2005. The meeting will provide the physics community with an overview of the exciting physics opportunities in neutrino physics and a discussion of possible new experiments.

       More details can be found at the PANIC 05 website. Information about registration and the scientific agenda will soon be made available.

       Organizers: Y. Efremenko (Co-Chair), S. Elliott, K. Heeger, A. Hime, K. Lesko (Co-Chair), W. Louis (Chair), H. Murayama, G. Mills, A. Poon, R. Van de Water.

    Additional groups and collaborations seeking meeting space during the conference should contact Martin Cooper (mcooper@lanl.gov) so that meeting rooms can be reserved for your event.

Mark your calendars for PANIC 05 on October 23-28, 2005. Currently in particle, nuclear, and astrophysics research, there are a series of new results and issues that are developing along with the turn-on of new facilities. The PANIC 05 meeting with its broad physics scope and diverse participants should provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate these issues and opportunities in Santa Fe next fall. We look forward to discussing these new results and ideas with you there.

With best regards,

Peter D. Barnes		Martin Cooper
pdbarnes@lanl.gov		mcooper@lanl.gov

Local Organizing Committee:

P.D. Barnes (LANL)
B. Bassalleck (UNM)
M. Cooper (LANL)
B. Gibson (LANL)
T. Goldman (LANL)
M. Johnson (LANL)
E. Kinney (U of Colorado)
G. Kyle (NMSU)
D. Lee (LANL)
W. Louis (LANL)
Joe Onstott (LANL)
A. Palounek (LANL)
S. Penttila (LANL)
R. Van de Water (LANL)
H. van Hecke (LANL)
S. Wilburn (LANL)


Scientific Program Committee:

J. Appel (Fermilab)
S. Aronson (BNL)
V. Balasubramanian (U. of Pennsylvania)
P. D. Barnes (LANL)
E. Berger (ANL)
M. Cooper (LANL)
J. Doyle (Harvard)
M. Garcon (Saclay)
H-A. Gustafsson (Lund)
D. Hertzog (U. Illinois)
I. Hinchliffe (UC Berkeley)
K. Imai (U. Kyoto)
B. Kayser (Fermilab)
A. Mueller (Columbia)
J. Olsen (Princeton)
S. Page (U. Manitoba)
K. Rajagopal (MIT)
B. Sadoulet (UC Berkeley)
S. Stone (Syracuse)
A. Thomas (Jefferson Lab)
S. Vigdor (Indiana)
G. Young (Oak Ridge)


International Advisory Committee:

H. Arfaei (Tehran)
S. Aronson (BNL)
D. Ashery (Tel Aviv)
P. D. Barnes (LANL)
C. Baltay (Yale)
A. Bettini (INFN-Gran Sasso)
J. Bjorken (SLAC)
H. Chen (IHEP/Bejing)
F. Close (Oxford)
M. Cooper (LANL)
M. Davier (LAL-Orsay)
E. DeSanctis (INFN-Frascati)
D. Dubbers (ILL-Geneva)
R. Eichler (PSI-Zurich)
T. Ericson (CERN/Uppsala)
D. Geesaman (Argonne)
C. K. Gelbke (Michigan State)
G. Hanson (UC-Riverside)
W. Haxton (U of Washington)
Z. X. He (CAS-Bejing)
W. Henning (GSI-Darmstadt)
W.-Y.P. Hwang (Taiwan)
K. Imai (Kyoto)
B. K. Jain (Mumbai)
R. Klanner (DESY-Hamburg)
S. Kullander (Uppsala)
T.D. Lee (Columbia)
C. Leemann (JLab)
V.M. Lobashev (INR-Moscow)
A. Magnon (CEA-Saclay)
D. Marlow (Princeton)
J. Matthews (MIT)
A. McDonald (Queen's University)
D-P. Min (Seoul)
S. Nagamiya (KEK-Ibaraki)
T. Otsuka (JCNP-Tokyo)
P. Paul (BNL/Stony Brook)
K. Peach (Rutherford)
I.A. Savin (JINR-Dubna)
B. Schoch (Bonn)
Y.M. Shatunov (BINR-Novosibirsk)
I. Shipsey (Purdue)
A. Shotter (TRIUMF-Vancouver)
F. Takasaki (KEK-Ibaraki)
A. Thomas (JLab)
G. Trilling (Lawrence Berkeley)
W. Weise (Munich)
F. Wilczek (MIT)
M. Witherell (Fermilab)
S. Wojcicki (Stanford)
G. Young (ORNL)
W. Zajc (Columbia)