In 1975 the MARCEL Grossmann Meetings were
established in order to provide every three years a forum for discussion of advances
in gravitation, general relativity and relativistic field theories,emphasising
their mathematical foundations, physical predictions and experimental test. MGI
and MGII were held in Trieste(1975-1979),MGIII(1982) in Shanghai. The topics have
gradually broadened: at MGIV in Rome (1985) the birth of "Astroparticle physics"
was testified in the lecture of Abdus Salam and entire sessions dedicated to it.
The Einstein theories have become more and more the theoretical fundaments for
an ample new field of research encompassing experiments and observations which
make ample use of techniques from space missions in the optical,X and gamma-ray
wavelengths as well as radio and optical ground based observatories, all the way
to underground particle physics laboratories. The momentum gained following the
large investments in observational techniques has led to the coming to maturity
of a new field of research:Relativistic Astrophysics. Paradoxically Eistein theories
born as purely theoretical work with extremely feeble experimental verifications
are so becoming the driving force in the theoretical understanding of one of the
largest observational and experimental scientific program in the history of mankind.
The MGV in Perth(1988), MGVI in Kyoto(1991), MGVII in Stanford(1994), MGVIII in
Jerusalem(1997)and MGIX in Rome(2000) have further promoted and recorded the results
of this scientific endeavour. The Brazilian Centre for Research
in Physics (CBPF) was founded in 1949 to develop research in fundamental science.
Its establishment followed an era of vigorous research by Giuseppe Occhialini,
Mario Schoenberg and Gleb Wataghin, who were the founders of modern physics in
Brazil. This heroic era culminated in the epochal discovery of Π the meson by
cesare lattes Occhialini and Cecil Powell in 1947 which, with the coeval discovery
of the properties of the μ meson in Rome by NM.Conversi,E.Pancini and O.Piccioni,opened
up the world of subnuclear physics. Lattes was among the founders and early promoters
of the CBPF,which initially emphasised atomic and nuclear physics. During
the sixties new experimental and theoretical lines of research were initiated,including
those in solid state and high energy physics.in the seventies the cosmology and
gravitation group was formed,helping to spread research in this area all over
Brazil,aided by the organisation of a regular series of International Schools
on Conmology and Gravitation. CBPF was also the first Brazilian
Institute to offer a program of graduate study in physics. |