The Description of Excitation Processes in Ion-Atom Collisions

Abstract

From being a subject of fundamental interest in its own right in the early days of quantum mechanics, atomic physics has moved more and more into a role of providing a diagnostic tool to be employed as a ‘measuring device’ in more complicated physical situations. Good examples of this are to be found in the fields of plasma physics, of astrophysics and in some instances in the interactions of fundamental particles and of course in QED. Atomic physics is unique among the disciplines of modern physics in that the nature of the forces operating, the electromagnetic forces, are well-understood. This knowledge carries with it a responsibility that atomic physics should be capable of an accuracy which is not often demanded in other disciplines. Only when high accuracy in the description of atomic processes is achieved can such processes be applied to monitor the manifestations of more fundamental interactions. The classic example of this type of use of atomic physics is the discovery of the Lamb shift.