Stanley Bashkin Beam-foil spectroscopy has enjoyed a rapid growth since the publication of KAY's first experiment [I.1J and my own first formal discussion of the possibilities inherent in a foil-excited particle beam [1.2J. In addition to fulfilling a number of the impor tant promises, the beam-foil source has been found to hold substantial surprises, the unearthing of which has contributed to our knowledge of basic atomic physics. Since the early days, major extensions have been made in the range of wavelength and par ticle energies which have been used, but only the bare beginnings have been made in exploiting the potential of the beam-foil source. Since there are many people who would like to turn their accelerator facilities to beam-foil problems or apply their theoretical techniques to calculations which bear on the beam-foil field, it seemed appropriate to assemble a discussion of the present status of beam-foil spectroscopy. The present volume attempts to summarize what has been learned and outlines a number of studies which remain to be made.
