The Network was approved by the ESF Executive Council in May 1997 for a three-year period.
The Chairman was Professor Tom W.B. Kibble, from Imperial College of London.

The Network on Topological Defects focuses on the study of the dynamics of the symmetry-breaking phase transition, such as in magnetisation, in superconductors, superfluids and the standard model of particle physics.

The dossier contains: Network proposal, 1996 and amendments, 1997; progress report, 1997; research assessments, 1997; completion report, 2001; list of Network publications; evaluations.
It contains correspondence concerning the establishment of the Network and the Network proposal; correspondence concerning short visits, publications, management of the Network; correspondence on the meetings of the Steering Committee (minutes of the meeting of the Steering Committee held in Grenoble, on 29 Sep 1997); correspondence and documents concerning the workshops: workshop on the "Formation of topological defects", Grenoble, 26 Sep – 2 Oct 1997 (programme); school on Topological Defects, Les Houches, 16-26 Feb 1999 (programme, list of participants); workshop on "Particle physics and condensed matter", Dresden, 7-12 June 1999 (list of participants); workshop in Capri, 8-12 Sep 2000 (programme, list of participants).

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