Thank you

Abstract

THANK YOU With 90 years and above, no longer can I remain productive in Science; physical and mental capabilities have declined as well as memory. In addition, progress and change in all areas of physics have advanced so fast that previously acquired knowledge no longer is su cient to let one follow modern developments. At most one can try to keep super cially informed about the recent trends and developments. So the present publication not only is greatly honoring me, but it is also help and encouragement for the continuation of my i n terest in physics. The present collection of papers written by friends, colleagues, collaborators, and former students, dealing with topics of common interest, indicates the direction in which the eld has expanded, opens new areas of research, and lists important new results. It is highly satisfying for me to see that former students have become full professors or reached leading positions in research institutions. I am glad to express my profound gratitude to Professor Roberto Faria who suggested this publication, to all the authors, of the presented papers, from here and abroad, to Professor Sergio Mascarenhas de Oliveira for his warm and honoring introduction, to Professor Guilherme Leal Ferreira for his continuous collaboration as well as to J.A.Giacometti, to Professor R. Gerhard-Multhaupt for the organization and editing of all the material that passed his o ce for publication in a special issue of the Brazilian Journal of Physics. Not all my w ork was done in Brazil. I feel greatly indebted to Professor G.M.Sessler who invited me rst to Bell Lab at Murray Hill, USA and later to the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany for work with him, Jim West, H.von Seggern and the group of his collaborators and students in the eld of electrets and related topics. Please consider that this note, avored by m y age, falls short of fully expressing my feelings when receiving this publication.