The exact treatment of nuclei starting from the constituent nucleons and the fundamental interactions among them has been a long-standing goal in nuclear physics. In addition to the complex nature of nuclear forces, one faces the quantum-mechanical many-nucleon problem governed by an interplay between bound and continuum states. In recent years, significant progress has been made in ab initio nuclear structure and reaction calculations based on input from QCD employing Hamiltonians constructed within chiral effective field theory. In this contribution, we present one of such promising techniques capable of describing simultaneously both bound and scattering states in light nuclei. By combining the resonating-group method (RGM) with the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM), we complement a microscopic cluster approach with the use of realistic interactions and a microscopic and consistent description of the clusters. We discuss applications to light nuclei scattering, radiative capture and fusion reactions.

Until recently quantum chemical ab initio calculations were re stricted to atoms and very small molecules. As late as in 1960 Allen l and Karo stated : "Almost all of our ab initio experience derives from diatomic LCAO calculations ••• N and we have found in the litera ture "approximately eighty calculations, three-fourths of which are for diatomic molecules ••• There are approximately twenty ab initio calculations for molecules with more than two atoms, but there is a decided dividing line between the existing diatomic and polyatomic wave functions. Confidence in the satisfactory evaluation of the many -center two-electron integrals is very much less than for the diatom ic case". Among the noted twenty calculations, SiH was the largest 4 molecule treated. In most cases a minimal basis set was used and the many-center two-electron integrals were calculated in an approximate way. Under these circumstances the ab initio calculations could hard ly provide useful chemical information. It is therefore no wonder that the dominating role in the field of chemical applications was played by semiempirical and empirical methods. The situation changed essentially in the next decade. The problem of many-center integrals was solved, efficient and sophisticated computer programs were devel oped, basis sets suitable for a given type of problem were suggested, and, meanwhile, a considerable amount of results has been accumulated which serve as a valuable comparative material. The progress was of course inseparable from the development and availability of computers.

Polyatomic Molecules: Results of Ab Initio Calculations describes the symmetry of polyatomic molecules in ground states. This book contains 12 chapters that also cover the excited and ionized states of these molecules. The opening chapter describes the nature of the various ab initio computational methods. The subsequent four chapters deal with the three-atom systems, differing with respect to the number of hydrogen atoms in the molecules. These chapters also discuss the reaction surfaces of these systems. These topics are followed by discussions on the molecules whose ground states belong to relatively high, little or no symmetry groups. The concluding chapters explore the inorganic and relatively large organic molecules. These chapters also examine the ab initio calculations of molecular compounds and complexes, as well as hydrogen bonding and ion hydration. This text will be of great value to organic and inorganic chemists and physicists.

Ab Initio Valence Calculations in Chemistry describes the theory and practice of ab initio valence calculations in chemistry and applies the ideas to a specific example, linear BeH2. Topics covered include the Schrödinger equation and the orbital approximation to atomic orbitals; molecular orbital and valence bond methods; practical molecular wave functions; and molecular integrals. Open shell systems, molecular symmetry, and localized descriptions of electronic structure are also discussed. This book is comprised of 13 chapters and begins by introducing the reader to the use of the Schrödinger equation to solve the electronic structure of molecular systems. This discussion is followed by two chapters that describe the chemical and mathematical nature of orbital theories in quantum chemistry. Two general ways of using chemical and physical information in looking for approximate solutions of the Schrödinger equation are highlighted: model approximations and numerical approximations. Attention then turns to atomic orbitals as the basis of a description of molecular electronic structure; practical molecular wave functions; and a general strategy for performing molecular valence calculations. The final chapter examines the nature of the valence electronic structure by using invariance with respect to transformations among the occupied molecular orbitals and among the atomic orbitals. This text will be of interest to students and practitioners of chemistry, biochemistry, and quantum mechanics.