Atomic and plasma-material interaction processes play an important role in thermonuclear fusion plasmas and the knowledge of these processes has a significant impact on fusion energy research and development. The present volume provides a comprehensive survey of atomic and plasma-material interaction aspects of controlled thermonuclear fusion. The review articles included in this volume describe the role of atomic and plasma-material interaction processes in the currently most active fusion research areas and emphasize the need for accurate quantitative information on these processes for resolving many outstanding issues in fusion research and reactor design development such as plasma energy balance, particle transport and confinement, impurity control, thermal power and helium exhaust, plasma heating and fuelling, edge plasma physics, development of fusion reactor plasma facing components and plasma diagnostics and modelling.

This book deals with the specific contact between the fourth state of matter, i.e. plasma, and the first state of matter, i.e. a solid wall, in controlled fusion experiments. A comprehensive analysis of the main processes of plasma-surface interaction is given together with an assessment of the most critical questions within the context of general criteria and operation limits. It also contains a survey on other important aspects in nuclear fusion.

The NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Atomic and Molecular Processes in Controlled TheI'IllOnuclear Fusion" was held at Chateau de Bonas, Castera-Verduzan, Gel's, France, from 13th to 24th August 1979, and this volume contains the text of the invited lectures. The Institute was supported by the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO, and additional support was received from EURATOM and the United States National Science Foundation. The Institute was attended by 88 scientists, all of whom were active research workers in control of thermonuclear plasmas, 01' atomic and molecular physics, 01' both. In addition to the formal lectures, printed in this volume, which were intended to be pedagogic, more than twenty research seminars were given by participants. The first half of the Institute was directed to introducing atomic and molecular theoretical and experimental physicists to the physics of controlled thermonuclear fusion. Most attention was paid to magnetic confinement, and within that field, to tokamaks. MI'.

This volume contains three articles which consider the results of an IAEA co-ordinated research project into the cooling rates of nuclear fusion plasma impurities involved in radiated processes, an important aspect of modelling and diagnostic studies of fusion plasmas.