This award supports a theoretical program to examine in detail collisions of photons (light), electrons, and heavy charged particles with atoms, ions, and molecules. Highly sophisticated numerical methods and computer programs will be developed and then applied to perform benchmark calculations, whose predictions will be compared with data from state-of-the-art experiments currently being performed in various laboratories worldwide.
The interpretation of the results will lead to a deeper understanding of highly correlated processes on the submicroscopic atomic scale. Of particular interest are processes in ultrashort intense laser fields, at a time scale that allows for the study, and ultimately the control, of electron behavior in chemical processes. Finally, the project provides accurate atomic data, which are needed in many applications, such as modeling plasmas for the lighting industry, processes in planetary atmospheres, and the physics of stars and lasers.
