The Atomic Physics Gordon Conference has a long history of bringing together top researchers and future leaders in the fields of atomic, molecular, and optical physics. This Gordon Conference showcases the close-knit community in atomic physics, and is a well-known venue for substantial and informal interaction between students, young speakers, and senior figures in the field. The conference always features a great deal of lively discussion during the sessions, but equally important are the spaces in between, where ideas move, collaborations form, and connections are made.

The Atomic Physics Gordon Conference moves with the frontiers of atomic physics, relating this discipline to the other branches of the physical sciences whenever possible. Recent session themes include quantum degenerate gases, quantum information science, quantum optics, mesoscopic devices, cold molecules, ultrafast and high-field physics, atomic and molecular collision processes, tests of fundamental symmetries in nature, connections to condensed-matter physics and particle physics, and applications to biophysics.

While we expect that the 2013 conference will attract a number of senior physicists, we also expect that it will again feature a large number of younger participants. We especially encourage the participation of graduate students and postdocs, and we anticipate that some financial support for these researchers may be available. A highlight of the Atomic Physics conference has been a pair of lively and stimulating poster sessions, and we encourage participants to share their work in this way again next summer. The setting of Salve Regina University affords many opportunities for informal scientific conversations, as well as afternoon activities both on-campus and in the city of Newport, Rhode Island.