For a broad range of phenomena, a state can be described by two parameters, rest energy and rate of decay. This information is encoded in a complex number whose real part is the energy and imaginary part is the rate of decay. Mathematically it appears as a pole of a natural meromorphic operator and is called a resonance. This article motivates the study of resonances and describes some recent advances in this study. (pp. 319)
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The Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, located not far from Paris, is one of the world's premier mathematics institutes. This article tells about the atmosphere and rich history of the IHÉS, with special attention to how the personalities of the professors have shaped what happens at the institute mathematically. (pp. 329)
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