Ising Centennial Colloquium
Introdution
Thestoriesof Ernst Ising, andof themodelthat bearshis name, are eah remarkablein their own way,as is
theabseneofIsing, theman,fromthelatterstoryovermanydeades. Isingwasaughtupin thedreadfulseries
ofeventsthathasometobeknownastheHoloaust(`theHitlerei',inPauli'swords),onlynarrowlyesapingthe
fate that befell somanyvitims allaross Europe. Meanwhile, theIsing model (introdued, asIsingwasalways
arefultopointout,byhisadvisorLenz),beganitsillustrioustrajetoryinthehandsofLandau,Peierls,Kramers,
Onsager, and ahostof brilliant sientists in the generationsthat followed. Themodel hasbeenat theenter of
themoderntheoryofritialphenomena,oneofthereenttriumphsoftheoretialphysis. Originallyintendedas
arst stepin understanding ferromagnetism, itturns upin diverse elds: liquidsand solutions,spin glasses,ell
membranes,immune-systemmodelling,andsoialbehavior,amongothers. Verifyingthemodel's relevanetoreal
materialshasmotivatedaseriesofbenhmarkexperimentalinvestigations. Themodelserved,atthesametime,as
theprimetesting-groundforonebreakthroughafteranotherintheareaofsimulations. Awealthofphysisremains
to beminedfrom thesimpleyet subtlegame of`spins' onahessboard;what geniuses of thefuture will disover
thereanhardlybeguessed.
Intheyearofthe100thbirthdayofErnstIsingwegatheredtodisussbothhistorialandreentdevelopments
onnetedwiththeIsingmodel. TheIsingCentennialColloquiumwasheldonAugust1-4,2000,atUniversidade
FederaldeMinasGerais,Belo Horizonte. Itwasattendedbyover100partiipants,withthreedaysof talksanda
postersession. Therewere19invitedspeakers,whosetalksoveredexperiment,simulation,theoryandappliations
oftheIsingmodel,aswellas thelifeofIsinghimself.
This speial issue of the Brazilian Journal of Physis ontains artiles based on the works presented at the
Colloquium. Whilethe subjetistoovastforallof itsaspetsto beoveredin asingleonfereneorvolume, we
sinerelyhopethatthisolletionwillbeusefultoresearhersandstudentsinstatistialphysisandrelatedareas,
whoareurrentlyworkingontheIsingmodel, orwouldliketoknowmoreaboutit.
AmerioTrist~aoBernardes
Jo~aoFlorenio
