Now available in paperback. An introduction to the theory of the interactions of pions and Kaons with atomic nuclei. Emphasis is on scattering of these mesons by nuclei, and the induced reactions, including the absorption or production of mesons. The central method presented is the theory of multiple scattering developed by Watson and others. Also developed are methods that account for absorption and production of mesons, in which meson degrees of freedom are explicitly involved. Other mesons, as secondary particles, are covered in the appropriate contexts. The role of mesons in nuclear dynamics is also addressed. Finally, alternate approaches to scattering theory are considered.

Due to their long lifetimes, the $\omega$ and $\phi$ mesons are the ideal candidates for the study of possible modifications of the in-medium meson-nucleon interaction through their absorption inside the nucleus. During the E01-112 experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the mesons were photoproduced from $^{2}$H, C, Ti, Fe, and Pb targets. This paper reports the first measurement of the ratio of nuclear transparencies for the $e^{+}e^{-}$ channel. The ratios indicate larger in-medium widths compared with what have been reported in other reaction channels.

Giving emphasis on electroweak nuclear interactions the book collects more than 60 papers presented at the 5th International Symposium, Prague, September 1-6, 1991. Further topics covered are: nuclear physics with pions and antiprotons, nuclar physics with strange particles, relativistic nuclear physics, and quark degrees of freedom. They are viewed in their theoretical as well as experimental aspects.