This book is an introduction to the physics of highly excited, easily perturbed or interacting atoms. The book begins with a brief introduction to the traditional view of electron shells and their properties, and then goes on to discuss Rydberg states, quantum defect theory, atomic f-values, centrifugal barrier effects, autoionisation, inner shell and double excitation spectra, K-matrix theory, atoms in high laser fields, statistical methods, quantum chaos, and atomic effects in solids. The emphasis is throughout on radial properties, orbital collapse, many body effects, the breakdown of the...

This comprehensive volume surveys the general aspects of atomic cluster science and outlines some of its important new challenges. It begins by detailing the recent advances in the understanding of structure and the essential properties of selected atomic cluster systems, fullerenes and confined atoms. Recent advances in the field of photo processes involving atomic clusters and fullerenes are discussed, and an entire chapter is devoted to the problem of fission dynamics of atomic clusters, presenting parallels with similar processes in nuclear physics.The book goes on to describe the...

This book presents a “snapshot” of the most recent and significant advances in the field of cluster physics. It is a comprehensive review based on contributions by the participants of the 2nd International Symposium on Atomic Cluster Collisions (ISACC 2007) held in July 19-23, 2007 at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. The purpose of the Symposium is to promote the growth and exhange of scientific information on the structure and properties of nuclear, atomic, molecular, biological and complex cluster systems studied by means of photonic, electronic, heavy particle and atomic collisions....

What mysterious forces bring Science and Poetry together? Why did William Hamilton, Tycho Brahe and Marie Curie all write verse? How is it that Omar Khayyam wrote a treatise on algebra and why was Percy Bysshe Shelley fascinated by chemistry? To the contrary, why did Mary Shelley dream up the tale of Frankenstein? Poets from all over Europe gather at each Euroscience Open Forum ESOF to consider the complex relationship between Science and Poetry. From their poems and from their debates, discover a fruitful dialogue between advanced research and the poetry of our times. Wth contributions from...

What mysterious forces bring Science and Poetry together? Why did William Hamilton, Tycho Brahe and Marie Curie all write verse? How is it that Omar Khayyam wrote a treatise on algebra and why was Percy Bysshe Shelley fascinated by chemistry? To the contrary, why did Mary Shelley dream up the tale of Frankenstein and why was Edgar Allan Poe so inspired by science and astronomy? Poets from all over Europe gather at each Euroscience Open Forum ESOF to consider the complex relationship between Science and Poetry. From their poems and from their debates, discover a fruitful dialogue between...