Introduction

Abstract

Present and future efforts in gas-laser development, laser fusion, isotope separation, combustion, atmospheric physics, as well as other energy-related fields, rely on a quantitative understanding of the electron and photon scattering processes for a variety of small molecules. The need for quantitatively accurate electron- and photon-molecule scattering cross sections is putting stringent demands on present theoretical methods. As this need becomes more pressing, it is important to assess the scope of those methods which are presently being used in the study of electron- and photon-molecule collisions, to identify the key advantages and limitations of the various methods and to see which techniques are best suited for a quantitative study of the important problems in molecular scattering.