Franco A. Gianturco - Böcker

Until recently, the field of atomic and molecular collisions was left to a handful of practitioners who essentially explored it as a branch of atomic physics and gathered their experimental re­ sults mainly from spectroscopy measurements in bulk. But in the past ten years or so, all of this has dramatically changed, and we are now witnessing the rapid growth of a large body of research that encompasses the simplest atoms as well as the largest mole­ cules, that looks at a wide variety of phenomena well outside purely spectroscopic observation, and that finds applications in an unexpectedly broad range of physico-chemical and physical pro­ cesses. The latter are in turn surprisingly close to very important sectors of applied research, such as the modeling of molecular lasers, the study of isotope separation techniques, and the energy losses in confined plasmas, to mention just a few of them. As a consequence of this healthy state of affairs, greatly diversified research pathways have developed; however, their specialized problems are increasingly at risk of being viewed in isolation, although they are part of a major and extended branch of physics or chemistry. This is particularly true when it comes to the theory of this work -- where well-established methods and models of one subfield are practically unknown to researchers in other subfields -- and, consequently, the danger of wasteful duplication arising is quite real.

The collision of electrons with molecules and molecular ions is a fundamental pro­ cess in atomic and molecular physics and in chemistry. At high incident electron en­ ergies, electron-molecule collisions are used to deduce molecular geometries, oscillator strengths for optically allowed transitions, and in the case of electron-impact ionization, to probe the momentum distribution of the molecule itself. When the incident electron energy is comparable to or below those of the molecular valence electrons, the physics involved is particularly rich. Correlation and exchange effects necessary to describe such collision processes bear a close resemblance to similar efft:cts in the theory of electronic structure in molecules. Compound state formations, in the form of resonances and vir­ tual states, manifest themselves in experimental observables which provide details of the electron-molecule interactions. Ro-vibrational excitations by low-energy electron collisions exemplify energy transfer between the electronic and nuclear motion. The role of nonadiabatic interaction is raised here. When the final vibrational state is in the continuum, molecular dissociation occurs. Dissociative recombination and dissociative attachment are examples of such fragmentation processes. In addition to its fundamental nature, the study of electron-molecule collisions is also motivated by its relation to other fields of study and by its technological appli­ cations. The study of planetary atmospheres and the interstellar medium necessarily involve collision processes of electrons with molecules and molecular ions.

This work presents a state-of-the-art view of antimatter chemistry and physics, with emphasis on the nanoscopic interactions of positronium atoms with ordinary matter. Selected applications are also discussed. The chapters present a summary of contemporary knowledge in terms of both theory and experiment and look to the future of research in this area. Extensive bibliographies are included to make the volume a useful reference book. This volume is intended for a broad audience, ranging from specialists in positron research to the graduate students who should be able to use some of the chapters as the introduction to a research area.

Until recently, the field of atomic and molecular collisions was left to a handful of practitioners who essentially explored it as a branch of atomic physics and gathered their experimental re­ sults mainly from spectroscopy measurements in bulk. But in the past ten years or so, all of this has dramatically changed, and we are now witnessing the rapid growth of a large body of research that encompasses the simplest atoms as well as the largest mole­ cules, that looks at a wide variety of phenomena well outside purely spectroscopic observation, and that finds applications in an unexpectedly broad range of physico-chemical and physical pro­ cesses. The latter are in turn surprisingly close to very important sectors of applied research, such as the modeling of molecular lasers, the study of isotope separation techniques, and the energy losses in confined plasmas, to mention just a few of them. As a consequence of this healthy state of affairs, greatly diversified research pathways have developed; however, their specialized problems are increasingly at risk of being viewed in isolation, although they are part of a major and extended branch of physics or chemistry. This is particularly true when it comes to the theory of this work -- where well-established methods and models of one subfield are practically unknown to researchers in other subfields -- and, consequently, the danger of wasteful duplication arising is quite real.

The NATO-Advanced Study Institute on "Collision Theory for Atoms and Molecules" was made possible by the main sponsorship and the generous financial support of the NATO Scientific Affairs Division in Brussels. Belgium. Special thanks are therefore due to the late Dr. Mario Di Lullo and to Dr. Craig Sinclair. of this Division. who repeatedly advised us and kept us aware of administrative requirements. The Institute was also assisted by the financial aid from the Scientific Committees for Chemistry and Physics of the Italian National Research Council (CNR). The search and selection of a suitable location. one which participants would easily reach from any of Italy's main airports, was ably aided by the Personnel of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa and made possible by its Directorship. Our thanks therefore go to its present director. Prof. L. Radicati. and to its past director. Prof. E. Vesentini who first agreed to our use of their main building in Pisa and of their palatial facilities at the "Palazzone" in Cortona.