Fundamental Processes of Atomic Dynamics, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1988 NATO Science Series B: Series, Vol. 181

This volume contains the lectures presented at the NATO Advanced study Institute "Fundamental Processes of Atomic Dynamics" held in Maratea. Italy from September 20th to October 2nd 1987. The institute and this volume were conceived as a natural complement to previous institutes held in Maratea (1982) and in Santa Flavia (1984. ) whose proceedings are to be found in NATO ASI Series B vol. 103 and 134 respectively. The subject matter of these institutes was the study of the funda­ mental processes occurring in the interactions of atoms with photons. electrons and heavy-ions. The aim has been to unify these processes in a coherent experimen­ tal and theoretical approach. The present volume brings this approach up to date and contains in addition. for contrast and variety. a description of similar dynamical processes in the study of clusters and surfaces. The institute was opened with a lecture by Joe Macek in which he summarised the current status of atomic collision research. propounded the philosophy of a unified approach to structure, fragmentation and collision and posed the outstanding questions in the field. This lecture forms the introduction to this volume. The subject matter was divided into experiment and theory with the lectures inter-linked so that the one could re-inforce the other. The whole of the theoretical part of the institute was organised by Ugo Fano as an on-going symposium.

Ugo Fano’s Scientific Accomplishments.- Fundamental Processes of Atomic Dynamics.- Frontiers in Atomic Physics: Introduction and Opening Remarks.- Theory Symposium.- General Features of Collisions and Spectra.- A Unified View of Collisions and Spectra.- Quantum Defect Theory for Molecules.- Variational Calculation of Channel Interaction Parameters.- Ion-Atom Collisions.- Theoretical Studies of Heavy Particle Collisions.- Coherence and Correlations in Fast Ion-Atom Collisions.- The Production and Measurement of Anisotropy using Photons.- Atoms in External Fields.- Rydberg Electrons in Laser Fields: A MQDT Treatment with Dressed Channels.- Hyperspherical Description of Two-Electron Systems.- Classification of Doubly-excited States of Two-Electron Atoms.- A Molecular Description of Electron Pair Excitations in Atoms.- A Hyperspherical Description of N-Electron Atoms.- Experiment.- Collision-produced Atomic States.- Basic Mechanisms in Atomic Collision Complexes.- Shapes and Orientation of Atoms in Energy and Charge-transfer Collisions with Laser Excitation.- Analysis of Electron-Atom Collisions: Electron-Photon Coincidence Experiments.- Analysis of Electron-Atom Collisions: Spin-Dependent Effects.- Analysis of Electron-Atom Scattering: Positron-Atom Scattering, a Variation of Electron-Atom Scattering.- Atoms in Intense Laser Fields.- Probing Excited States with Multiphoton Ionization.- Shape Resonances in Molecular Fields.- Resonances in Atomic Spectroscopy.- Clusters, or the Transition from Molecular to Condensed Matter Physics.- Electronic Interaction of Ions (Atoms) with Metal Surfaces.- Epilogue.- Participants.