Editorial: In Memory of Francesco Ruggiero (February 20, 2007)

We regret the passing of our friend and colleague, Francesco Ruggiero, on January 18, 2007. Francesco will be greatly missed as an Associate Editor of Physical Review Special Topics – Accelerators and Beams. His work in accelerator physics and beam dynamics was widely cited and earned him great respect. He had the highest standards in research, publication, and mentor- ing. Under his caring guidance many bright young accelerator physicists were trained or recruited at CERN.

Francesco received his Ph.D. in accelerator physics from the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa in 1985. He spent his career at CERN where he participated in the commissioning of LEP and made numerous invaluable contributions to the design of the LHC. He is widely recognized for his research on collective effects, accelerator impedance, the beam-beam interaction, and the electron-cloud effect. He served as the leader of the Accelerator Physics Group in the former CERN SL Division, and since 2000 he was the driving force behind the LHC accelerator upgrade studies. All of us at Physical Review pass on our condolences to his family. We will miss the contributions he made to the journal and to our lives as a colleague and friend.