Since 1981 there has been an attempt in Europe to organize a series of small meetings/workshops/tavole rotonde with the aim of bringing together physi cists and chemists interested in problems concerning atoms or molecules in teracting with external photons where the continua are investigated. The number of problems that fall into this category turns out to be vast. However, it is not possible to make a strict separation into problems con cerning atomic and molecular collisions and those related to the usual spec troscopy. This admixture of two disciplines, discussions on the role of photons and on the interaction of external electromagnetic fields with the continuum provided a central motivation for these workshops. The fourth of this series of meetings was held at Cortona between June 16 and 20, 1986. It was attended by about 100 researchers in the field and there were 43 presentations, all having equal time. These talks form the subject matter of this volume. The idea of publishing the proceedings of these meetings is not new. It allows one to have small meetings in which the subject matter can be discussed at length in a lively atmosphere. However, after the meeting is over, the speakers can collect their thoughts and produce articles in which the results of their interaction with the other participants can be incorporated.

This book is intended for physicists and chemists who need to understand the theory of atomic and molecular structure and processes, and who wish to apply the theory to practical problems. As far as practicable, the book provides a self-contained account of the theory of relativistic atomic and molecular structure, based on the accepted formalism of bound-state Quantum Electrodynamics. The author was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1992.

This introduction to Atomic and Molecular Physics explains how our present model of atoms and molecules has been developed during the last two centuries by many experimental discoveries and from the theoretical side by the introduction of quantum physics to the adequate description of micro-particles. It illustrates the wave model of particles by many examples and shows the limits of classical description. The interaction of electromagnetic radiation with atoms and molecules and its potential for spectroscopy is outlined in more detail and in particular lasers as modern spectroscopic tools are discussed more thoroughly. Many examples and problems with solutions should induce the reader to an intense active cooperation.

Combined with the other two volumes, this text is a comprehensive treatment of the key experimental methods of atomic, molecular, and optical physics, as well as an excellent experimental handbook for the field. Thewide availability of tunable lasers in the past several years has revolutionized the field and lead to the introduction of many new experimental methods that are covered in these volumes. Traditional methods are also included to ensure that the volumes will be a complete reference source for the field.

Ideas of Quantum Chemistry shows how quantum mechanics is applied to chemistry to give it a theoretical foundation. The structure of the book (a TREE-form) emphasizes the logical relationships between various topics, facts and methods. It shows the reader which parts of the text are needed for understanding specific aspects of the subject matter. Interspersed throughout the text are short biographies of key scientists and their contributions to the development of the field.Ideas of Quantum Chemistry has both textbook and reference work aspects. Like a textbook, the material is organized into digestable sections with each chapter following the same structure. It answers frequently asked questions and highlights the most important conclusions and the essential mathematical formulae in the text. In its reference aspects, it has a broader range than traditional quantum chemistry books and reviews virtually all of the pertinent literature. It is useful both for beginners as well as specialists in advanced topics of quantum chemistry. The book is supplemented by an appendix on the Internet.* Presents the widest range of quantum chemical problems covered in one book * Unique structure allows material to be tailored to the specific needs of the reader * Informal language facilitates the understanding of difficult topics

This is the first volume of textbooks on atomic, molecular and optical physics, aiming at a comprehensive presentation of this highly productive branch of modern physics as an indispensable basis for many areas in physics and chemistry as well as in state of the art bio- and material-sciences. It primarily addresses advanced students (including PhD students), but in a number of selected subject areas the reader is lead up to the frontiers of present research. Thus even the active scientist is addressed. This volume 1 provides the canonical knowledge in atomic physics together with basics of modern spectroscopy. Starting from the fundamentals of quantum physics, the reader is familiarized in well structured chapters step by step with the most important phenomena, models and measuring techniques. The emphasis is always on the experiment and its interpretation, while the necessary theory is introduced from this perspective in a compact and occasionally somewhat heuristic manner, easy to follow even for beginners.

Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications allows the reader to master various aspects of the physics of the interaction between light and matter. It is devoted to the study of the interactions between photons and atoms in atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, and laser physics. The elementary processes in which photons are emitted, absorbed, scattered, or exchanged between atoms are treated in detail and described using diagrammatic representation. The book presents different theoretical approaches, including: Perturbative methods The resolvent method Use of the master equation The Langevin equation The optical Bloch equations The dressed-atom approach Each method is presented in a self-contained manner so that it may be studied independently. Many applications of these approaches to simple and important physical phenomena are given to illustrate the potential and limitations of each method.

The counter-intuitive aspects of quantum physics have been long illustrated by thought experiments, from Einstein's photon box to Schrödinger's cat. These experiments have now become real, with single particles - electrons, atoms, or photons - directly unveiling the strange features of the quantum. State superpositions, entanglement and complementarity define a novel quantum logic which can be harnessed for information processing, raising great hopes for applications. This book describes a class of such thought experiments made real. Juggling with atoms and photons confined in cavities, ions or cold atoms in traps, is here an incentive to shed a new light on the basic concepts of quantum physics. Measurement processes and decoherence at the quantum-classical boundary are highlighted. This volume, which combines theory and experiments, will be of interest to students in quantum physics, teachers seeking illustrations for their lectures and new problem sets, researchers in quantum optics and quantum information.

This text unravels those fundamental physical principles which explain how all matter behaves. It takes us from the foundations of quantum mechanics, through quantum models of atomic, molecular, and electronic structure, and on to discussions of spectroscopy, and the electronic and magnetic properties of molecules.