This volume and its two companion volumes, entitled Tetrahedrally-Bonded Amorphous Semiconductors and Localization and Metal-Insulator Transitions, are our way of paying special tribute to Sir Nevill Mott and to express our heartfelt wishes to him on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. Sir Nevill has set the highest standards as a physicist, teacher, and scientific leader. Our feelings for him include not only the respect and admiration due a great scientist, but also a deep affection for a great human being, who possesses a rare combination of outstanding personal qualities. We thank him...

The Institute for Amorphous Studies was founded in 1982 as the international center for the investigation of amorphous mate- rials. It has since played an important role in promoting the und er- standing of disordered matter in general. An Institute lecture series on "Fundamentals of Amorphous Materials and Devices" was held during 1982-83 with distinguished speakers from universities and industry. These events were free and open to the public, and were attended by many representatives of the scientific community. The lectures themselves were highly successful inasmuch as they provided not...