This volume contains the proceedings of the first NATO Science Forum
"Highlights of the Eighties and Future Prospects in Condensed Matter
Physics" (sponsored by the NATO Scientific Affairs Division), which took
place in September, 1990, in the pleasant surroundings provided by the
Hotel du Palais at Biarritz, France. One hundred distinguished
physicists from seventeen countries, including six Nobellaureates, were
invited to participate in the four and a half day meeting. Focusing on
three evolving frontiers: semiconductor quantum structures, including
the subject of the quantumHall effect (QHE), high temperature
superconductivity (HiTc) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), the
Forum provided an opportunity to evaluate, in depth, each of the
frontiers, by reviewing the progress made during the last few years and,
more importantly, exploring their implications for the future. Though
serious scientists are not "prophets," all of the participants showed a
strong interest in this unique format and addressed the questions of
future prospects, either by extrapolating from what has been known, or
by a stretch of their "educated" imagination.