Preface

Abstract

I consider the finding of one truth, it no matter how minor, to be more valuable than arguing at length around the major issues and achieving nothing. Translation of a statement by Galileo Galilei, who taught at Padua University from 1592 to 1610. The 4th international conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter was held in Padua on July 20--24 1998. The conference was organised under the joint auspices of the University of Padua and of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN). It was attended by more than 70 physicists. The scientific programme followed the established pattern for this series of conferences. It consisted of both invited and contributed talks with a marked emphasis on recent experimental and theoretical results. The talks were followed up by ample discussions in a pleasant atmosphere. The highlights of the conference were the recent results on the production of strange and multiply-strange particles in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, both at CERN and BNL. Their possible interpretation as evidence for the creation of a quark--gluon plasma was the subject of many stimulating discussions. It is my pleasant duty to express my thanks to the members of the International Advisory Committee for their suggestions and criticism during the preparations for the conference, especially as regards its scientific programme. I wish to extend my warm thanks to all participants and, in particular, to the speakers; they brought many new results which stimulated all of us, and in particular the young researchers, to continue their efforts in this field. I am deeply indebted to the INFN and the University of Padua for their essential contributions in finance and technical help, both before and during the conference. I wish to express my gratitude to all members of the Local Organizing Committee for their invaluable work, to the conference secretaries, Mrs Annarosa Spalla and Mrs Giuseppina Salente for their help and dedication, and to Mrs Paola Antinori and Mrs Antonietta Morando for the success of the Companion Programme. Finally, I wish to express my special thanks to Emanuele Quercigh for his constant support and advice in the preparation of this conference. Maurizio Morando