This book is an introduction to the physics of highly excited, easily perturbed or interacting atoms. The book begins with a brief introduction to the traditional view of electron shells and their properties, and then goes on to discuss Rydberg states, quantum defect theory, atomic f-values, centrifugal barrier effects, autoionisation, inner shell and double excitation spectra, K-matrix theory, atoms in high laser fields, statistical methods, quantum chaos, and atomic effects in solids. The emphasis is throughout on radial properties, orbital collapse, many body effects, the breakdown of the independent particle approach, the emergence of chaos, and the behaviour of atoms inside clusters and solids. A very full account of autoionisation includes not only the standard treatment for isolated resonances, but also several alternative approaches. The book discusses many experimental examples and has many diagrams and a comprehensive reference list.

‘One of the strengths of this book is its connectivity: topics as diverse as metallic clusters, high power laser effects on matter, Rydberg atoms and quantum chaology are sewn together with remarkable continuity, such that the book reads like a good novel … This graduate level textbook should be accessible to those with a good grounding in quantum mechanics and basic spectroscopy, and is potentially of interest to a range of physical chemists using VUV and X-ray probes of the character of chemical systems in both gaseous and condensed media.’

T. P. Softley Source: Chemistry in Britain

‘This is an excellent and important new monograph on the wide range of physics that is studied using atomic systems. This substantial monograph is very clearly written and contains a wealth of informative diagrams. I am sure that all serious students of atomic systems in physics and chemistry should have access to it. Undergraduates wanting to look into the new physics in the field will benefit from dipping into the volume. The author is to be congratulated in producing what will surely become a classic for the field of atomic and molecular physics.’

K. Burnett Source: Journal of Modern Optics