Intensity interferometry and in particular that due to Bose Einstein correlations (BEC) constitutes at present the only direct experimental method for the determination of sizes and lifetimes of sources in particle and nuclear physics. The measurement of these is essential for an understanding of the dynamics of strong interactions which are responsible for the existence and properties of atomic nuclei.Moreover a new state of matter, quark matter, in which the ultimate constituents of matter move freely, is within the reach of present accelerators or those under construction. The confirmation of the existence of this new state is intimately linked with the determination of its space-time properties. Furthermore BEC provides information about quantum coherence which lies at the basis of the phenomenon *

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