Fast Ion-Atom and Ion-Molecule Collisions

The principal goal of this book is to provide state-of-the-art coverage of the non-relativistic three- and four-body theories at intermediate and high energy ion-atom and ion-molecule collisions. The focus is on the most frequently studied processes: electron capture, ionization, transfer excitation and transfer ionization. The content is suitable both for graduate students and experienced researchers. For these collisions, the literature has seen enormous renewal of activity in the development and applications of quantum-mechanical theories. This subject is of relevance in several branches of science and technology, like accelerator-based physics, the search for new sources of energy and high temperature fusion of light ions. Other important applications are in life sciences via medicine, where high-energy ion beams are used in radiotherapy for which a number of storage ring accelerators are in full operation, under construction or planned to be built worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to review this field for its most recent advances with an emphasis on the prospects for multidisciplinary applications.

Contents:

• Electron Capture Processes in Ion-Atom Collisions at Intermediate Projectile Energies (M Schulz, A L Harris, T Kirchner and D H Madison)
• COLTRIMS Experiments on State-Selective Electron Capture in Alpha-He Collisions at Intermediate Energies (M Alessi, S Otranto and P Focke)
• Recent Advances in the Theory and Modelling of Multiple Processes in Heavy-Particle Collisions (T Kirchner, M Zapukhlyak, M F Ciappina and M Schulz)
• A 4-Body Model for Charge Transfer Collisions (A L Harris, J L Peacher and D H Madison)
• Distorted Wave Methodologies for Energetic Ion-Atom Collisions (S D Kunikeev)
• Critical Assessment of Theoretical Methods for Li3+ Collisions with He at Intermediate and High Impact Energies (Dž Belkić, I Mančev and N Milojević)
• Study of Inelastic Processes in Ion-H2O Collisions Using Classical Trajectory Monte Carlo and Semiclassical Methods (L F Errea, Clara Illescas, P M M Gabás, L Méndez, I Rabadán, A Riera and B Pons)
• Proton Beam Irradiation of Liquid Water: A Combined Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo Simulation Study of the Bragg Peak Profile (R Garcia-Molina, I Abril, P de Vera, I Kyriakou and D Emfietzoglou)

Readership: Graduate students and researchers in radiation physics, accelerator-based physics, new sources of energy, high-temperature fusion of light ions.
Key Features:

• Presentation of the direct connections relating the fundamental concepts, as well as the methods of quantum scattering theory, their numerical relevance and connection to experimental data
• Provides a state-of-the-art, critical review of all the leading theories for high-energy, ion-atom collisions, their drawbacks, limitations and strengths, in exhaustive comparison with all the available experimental data
• Presentation of the physics of heavy particles, atomic collisions at non-relativistic high energies