The Enrico Fermi Course “From Nuclei to stars”, held in Varenna from the fifth to the sixteen of August 2002, represented the natural continuation of a series of three Courses in nuclear physics already held in Varenna starting from the, by now distant, 1981.
Two underlying ideas are at the core of the four Schools. All of them were in fact intended to:
1) embed nuclear physics in the larger context of hadronic physics by stressing and deepening its widening overlap with particle, astroparticle and condensed matter physics;
2) emphasize the unity of the two facets not only of nuclear, but of the whole physics: the theoretical and the experimental ones, counteracting the ominous trend of enlarging the gap between the two, the danger being of depriving experimental physics of ideas promoting experiments and of transforming theoretical physics into metaphysics.
Common to all the Schools has also been the scope of preparing the young generations of scientists to meet the severe challenges posed by the field of nuclear physics in its modern version. The organizers of the 2002 School have placed much effort to pursue this goal both in extension and in depth. This clearlyly appears from the program.
The reader will find, outstandingly treated by distinguished scientists (both in theoretical and experimental aspects) the modern conceptions on nuclear structure, how atomic nuclei are probed through the scattering of high-energy electrons and how they interact when accelerated at ultra-relativistic energies.
The latter item connects to the quest for the quark-gluon plasma, perhaps the central theme of contemporary hadronic physics, whose unraveling requires a vast and profound knowledge of both nuclear and particle physics, in particular QCD. To this quest and to QCD itself much has been devoted in the School also through the representation of QCD provided by the chiral perturbation theory.
The lectures related to the fascinating theme of the role of nuclear physics in understanding the structure of stars and in elucidating many aspects of the physics of the neutrino should be recorded as well. Nuclear physics, which allowed in the fifties to grasp the mechanism of nuclear fusion in stars, is still fundamental today in disclosing the history of stars.
It thus happened —and pour cause— that, of this series of four Schools, two were co-directed by Prof. Renato A. Ricci. The present one has been especially dedicated to him in recognition of his continuous and restless commitment to a field which indeed has been the “leitmotiv” of his entire career.
Renato has followed the spectacular evolution of nuclear physics from its beginning to the present with enthusiasm, competence and unfailing faith in its fundamental cultural value.
In the course of this evolution the interest for nuclear physics sometimes appeared to fade away. But the discipline always re-emerged, transfigured.
The recognition of this occurrence provides the best proof of the intrinsic value and relevance of nuclear physics and the best homage to Renato, who kept his dedication to the field unshaken, and commited himself enthusiastically to the emerging themes, transmitting his eagerness to the others.
In conclusion, the organizers of the Course wish to warmly thank the Rector of the University of Torino, Prof. R. Bertolino, the INFN, Sezione di Torino, and the UNESCO for the generous financial support to the School. Special thanks are also due to B. Alzani and M. Missiroli, for their invaluable help.
A. Molinari and L. Riccati