The Second International Conference on Atomic and Nuclear Clusters '93 was orga nized in a joint effort by the 'Demokritos' National Center for Scientific Research, G. S. Anagnostatos (representing the atomic physics) and the Hahn-Meitner-Institut, W. von Oertzen (representing the nuclear physics). The subject of clusters - small aggregates of particles - is a topic of primary interest in both atomic and nuclear physics, and also in other fields like in the case of quark-structure of baryons and in cosmology. The interplay between atomic and nuclear physics is a particularly fascinating one because many concepts are common to both fields (quantal effects, shells, geometric structures, collective modes, fission etc. ) This conference was the second after the first one organized by Professor M. Brenner in Abo (Finland) in 1991. The general atmosphere of a joint forum for atomic and nuclear physicists was very fruitful and thus the decision to have a sequence of such meetings has been taken. A third one is planned in St. Petersburg (Russia) with Professor K. Gridnev (St. Petersburg) and Mme. Professor C. Bnkhignac (Orsay) as Chairpersons. The conference site, Fin\. on Santorini island (Greece), was a wonderful choice for a conference. It is small, which helps to keep people concentrated in a smaller community, it has a perfect convention center, the P. Nomikos Conference Center, and a very beautiful landscape formed by a large volcanic crater.

"The subject of clusters - small aggregates of particles - is a topic of primary interest in both atomic and nuclear physics, and also in other fields as in the case of quark-structures of baryons and in cosmology. The interplay between atomic and nuclear physics is a particularly fascinating one because many concepts are common to both fields (quantal effects, shells, geometric structures, collective modes, fission, etc.)." "These proceedings contain a wealth of papers illustrating the interdisciplinary role of cluster physics. Some of them are reprinted from Zeitschrift fur Physik A and D."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book focus on recent advances in nuclear physics and bring together experimentalists and theorists. Topics covered include neutron rich and superheavy nuclei, supernova and r-process nuclei, nuclear symmetry energy and equation of state, neutron stars, FAIR and future Dubna research, other related areas.

In these days of specialization it is important to bring together physicists working in diverse areas to exchange and share their ideas and excitement. This leads to cross-fertilization of ideas, and it enriches, as in biological systems, a specialized field with new strength, development and direction derived from another area. Although this might be an uncommon thing, it is an important step in our under standing of the physical world around us, which is, after aIl, the main purpose of physics. The seed for this conference was really sowed when one of us (MB) and Mr. Manngärd showed some a-scattering data at backward angles to FBM one summer about four years ago. That occasion led to a long research collaboration between the Abo Akademi physicists and other scientists in several countries. The actual idea to explore the possibility of holding a conference, however, crystallized in the summer of 1989 during a visit of FBM to Abo Akademi. The final decision to organize a conference was made after MB visited Profes sor Ben Mottelson in Copenhagen and Professor Anagnostatos in Athens. At this point it was recognized that there are similarities as weIl as differences between clustering phenomena in nuclei and systems consisting of atoms. It was therefore conjectured that it could be very stimulating to bring together these groups to exchange their ideas and to leam from each other's fields. A conference along these lines, we hoped, would contribute to an increased mutual understanding.

This book presents a ?snapshot? of the most recent and significant advances in the field of cluster physics. It is a comprehensive review based on contributions by the participants of the 2nd International Symposium on Atomic Cluster Collisions (ISACC 2007) held in July 19-23, 2007 at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. The purpose of the Symposium is to promote the growth and exhange of scientific information on the structure and properties of nuclear, atomic, molecular, biological and complex cluster systems studied by means of photonic, electronic, heavy particle and atomic collisions. Particular attention is devoted to dynamic phenomena, many-body effects taking place in cluster systems of a different nature ? these include problems of fusion and fission, fragmentation, collective electron excitations, phase transitions, etc. Both the experimental and theoretical aspects of cluster physics, uniquely placed between nuclear physics on the one hand and atomic, molecular and solid state physics on the other, are discussed.

A timely presentation of new results, challenges, and opportunities in the quickly developing field of nuclear cluster physics, presented by an international group of eminent theoretical and experimental scientists active in the field. Their work reveals how correlations of nucleons can appear spontaneously, propagate, and survive in nuclear matter at both low and high densities. Characteristic nuclear substructures, beyond those predicted by mean-field or collective scenarios, appear on microscopic and cosmic length scales. They can influence the dynamics of fusion of light nuclei and the decay of heavy, fissioning nuclei or of systems produced transiently in heavy-ion reactions. A must-read for young scientists entering the field and a valuable resource for more seasoned nuclear researchers!