ABSTRACT
Contemporary atomic physics has been revitalized by several important experimental developments. The structures of neutral and singly ionized
Ion
atoms can nowadays be very accurately determined by exciting the atoms using, for example, tunable lasers or synchrotron radiation. Another important line of research concerns the different atomic structure problems occurring in highly charged ions (HCIs), which has become one of the most dynamic areas of modern atomic physics. On the experimental side, powerful light sources such as laser-produced plasmas, magnetically confined fusion plasmas, and excited fast ions from particle accelerators have been further developed. At the same time, novel techniques, involving very highly stripped ions from advanced ion sources, have been successfully applied. A comparable development has taken place on the theoretical side. This includes a deeper understanding of the various physical effects that determine the structure of multiply charged ions, as well as the ever-increasing availability of great computational capabilities.
