Comment from the Editor

Abstract

The J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. plays an important and prominent role in the atomic, molecular and optical physics community around the world. This special role is a consequence of many factors. The primary reason is, of course, the sheer excellence of the scholarship that is published within its pages, a scholarship which has a particularly strong base in Europe, to the great benefit of the Journal and which is manifest in the contributors, the Editorial Board and our distinguished past Honorary Editors. This combination has led to people in the atomic, molecular and optical community across the globe seeing publication in J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. as an excellent way to communicate their research to a broad and influential readership. In taking up the Honorary Editorship, I am most conscious of the importance of the Journal to our community. I very much hope, therefore, that I can approach the success of our past Editor in helping to keep the Journal on the sound path it has taken to-date. We have, of course, entered into a time when the technological side of publishing will be changing rapidly. This is a great opportunity to make the scholarship in these pages more readily and speedily available to you - the reader - and details of online access to the Journal are printed overleaf. I am also very much aware of developments that continue within our field. I am sure, however, that the principles that make J. Phys. B such an important journal today will enable it to exploit these opportunities in the very best fashion for the atomic, molecular and optical community in the future. K Burnett