Many-Particle Quantum Dynamics in Atomic and Molecular Fragmentation [Hardcover]

This is the first comprehensive treatment of the interactions of atoms and molecules with charged particles, photons and laser fields. Addressing the subject from a unified viewpoint, the volume reflects our present understanding of many-particle dynamics in rearrangement and fragmentation reactions.

This book aims to give a comprehensive view on the present status of a tremendously fast-developing field - the quantum dynamics of fragmenting many-particle Coulomb systems. In striking contrast to the profound theo? retical knowledge, achieved from extremely precise experimental results on the static atomic and molecular structure, it was only three years ago when the three-body fundamental dynamical problem of breaking up the hydro? gen atom by electron impact was claimed to be solved in a mathematically consistent way. Until now, more complicated , though still fundamental scenarios, ad? dressing the complete fragmentation of the simplest many-electron system, the helium atom, under the action of a time-dependent external force, have withstood any consistent theoretical description. Exceptions are the most trivial situations where the breakup is induced by the impact of a single real photon or of a virtual photon under a perturbation caused by fast, low? charged particle impact. Similarly, the dissociation of the simplest molecu? lar systems like Ht or HD+, fragmentating in collisions with slow electrons, or the H3 molecule breaking apart into two or three pieces as a result of a single laser-photon excitation, establish a major challenge for state-of-the-art theoretical approaches.1 Kinematics of Atomic and Molecular Fragmentation Reactions.- 2 Recoil-Ion Momentum Spectroscopy and Reaction Microscopes.- 3 Multiparticle Imaging of Fast Molecular Ion Beams.- 4 NeutralAtom Imaging Techniques.- 5 Collisional Breakup in Coulomb Systems.- 6 Hyperspherical R-Matrix with Semiclassical Outgoing Waves.- 7 Convergent Close-Coupling Approach to Ellól