Sagamore XIII, Poland

The Sagamore meetings focus on aspects of charge, spin and momentum distributions, their determination from a wide variety of experimental techniques, and their detailed analysis and comparison with theory. Sagamore meetings provide an opportunity for scientists from different disciplines to meet and lead to closer collaboration and mutual understanding and appreciation of one-another’s science.

Particular highlights of Sagamore XIII (Stare Jablonki, Poland, Sept. 3-9, 2000) included talks by F. Tasset (ILL) on spherical neutron polarimetry (which promises to enable solution of magnetic structures that were previously intractable), W. Jauch (Hahn-Meitner Inst.) on the benefits of gamma radiation (in particular he presented evidence that the long-standing discrepancy between X-ray and neutron ADPs is due to the use of graphite-monochromated Mo radiation, and detailed studies on extinction which strongly corroborated the standard Becker-Coppens model), A. Shukla (ESRF) on Compton scattering (which was claimed to be more sensitive to intermolecular interactions than conventional charge density studies).

The IUCr Commission on Charge, Spin and Momentum Densities was formed in 1975 as an outcome of the Sagamore meetings, and to this day the CSMD Commission is actively involved in the planning and execution of these conferences. Sagamore XIV will be held mid-August 2003 on an island off the southern Queensland coast.