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Photograph of the Emeritus Group and Guests in 2003

Prof. Dr. J.P. Toennies retired as a director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Strömungsforschung on May 31, 1998. The Institute at that time was in a state of transition and since the only active director, Prof. Theo Geisel, was a theoretician, Prof. Toennies was asked to continue as an acting director of the experimental molecular beam activities in the Institute. From October 2002 to October 2003 he served as the acting administrative director. On May 31, 2004 the last of a maximum of three two year extensions as an official emeritus came to an end. The administrative director, Prof. Stephan Herminghaus, at that time agreed to continue supporting the small experimental group until September 2005.

With one important exception all the equipment developed in the laboratory in the past have found new homes and continue to produce excellent experimental results throughout the world in the hands of capable younger scientists. Unfortunately the large crossed molecular beam scattering apparatus on which Dr. Manfred Faubel and more recently Prof. Lev Rusin (Moscow) have studied among other systems, the F+H₂(D₂) → HF(DF)+H(D) reaction had to be scrapped since the prospective new owners had to give up plans to construct the necessary laboratory building to house it.