The recent developement of high power lasers, delivering femtosecond pulses of 20 2 intensities up to 10 W/cm , has led to the discovery of new phenomena in laser interactions with matter. At these enormous laser intensities, atoms, and molecules are exposed to extreme conditions and new phenomena occur, such as the very rapid multi photon ionization of atomic systems, the emission by these systems of very high order harmonics of the exciting laser light, the Coulomb explosion of molecules, and the acceleration of electrons close to the velocity of light. These phenomena generate new behaviour of bulk matter in intense laser fields, with great potential for wide ranging applications which include the study of ultra-fast processes, the development of high-frequency lasers, and the investigation of the properties of plasmas and condensed matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. In particular, the concept of the "fast ignitor" approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has been proposed, which is based on the separation of the compression and the ignition phases in laser-driven ICF. The aim of this course on "Atom, Solids and Plasmas in Super-Intense Laser fields" was to bring together senior researchers and students in atomic and molecular physics, laser physics, condensed matter and plasma physics, in order to review recent developments in high-intensity laser-matter interactions. The course was held at the Ettore Majorana International Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice from July 8 to July 14,2000.

The aim of this NATO Advanced Study Institute was to bring together scientists and students working in the field of laser matter interactions in order to review and stimulate developmentoffundamental science with ultra-short pulse lasers. New techniques of pulse compression and colliding-pulse mode-locking have made possible the construction of lasers with pulse lengths in the femtosecond range. Such lasers are now in operation at several research laboratories in Europe and the United States. These laser facilities present a new and exciting research direction with both pure and applied science components. In this ASI the emphasis is on fundamental processes occurring in the interaction of short laser pulses with atoms, molecules, solids, and plasmas. In the case of laser-atom (molecule) interactions, high power lasers provide the first access to extreme high-intensity conditions above 10'8 Watts/em', a new frontier for nonlinear interaction of photons with atoms and molecules. New phenomena observed include multiphoton ionization processes, atomic collisions in the presence of a strong laser field, Coulomb explosion following rapid ionization of a molecule and the production of high harmonics of the laser source. Another important topic reviewed in this ASI is the lasercooling ofatoms.

This is the first comprehensive treatment of the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with solids at nonrelativistic intensity. It connects phenomena from the subtle atomic motion on the nanoscale to the generation of extreme pressure and temperature in the interaction zone confined inside a solid. The femtosecond laser-matter interaction has already found numerous applications in industry, medicine, and materials science. However, there is no consensus on the interpretation of related phenomena. With mathematics kept to a minimum, this is a highly engaging and readable treatment for students and researchers in science and engineering. The book avoids complex mathematical formulae, and hence the content is accessible to nontechnical readers. Useful summaries after each chapter provide compressed information for quick estimates of major parameters in planned or performed experiments. The book connects the basic physics of femtosecond laser-solid interactions to a broad range of applications. Throught the text, basic assumptions are derived from the first principles, and new results and ideas are presented. From such analyses, a qualitative and predictive framework for the field emerges, the impact of which on applications is also discussed.

As part of the Physics 2010 decadal survey project, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation requested that the National Research Council assess the opportunities, over roughly the next decade, in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and technology. In particular, the National Research Council was asked to cover the state of AMO science, emphasizing recent accomplishments and identifying new and compelling scientific questions. Controlling the Quantum World, discusses both the roles and challenges for AMO science in instrumentation; scientific research near absolute zero; development of extremely intense x-ray and laser sources; exploration and control of molecular processes; photonics at the nanoscale level; and development of quantum information technology. This book also offers an assessment of and recommendations about critical issues concerning maintaining U.S. leadership in AMO science and technology.

The last few years have seen some remarkable advances in the understanding of atomic phenomena. It is now possible to isolate atomic systems in traps, measure in coincidence the fragments of collision processes, routinely produce, and study multicharged ions. One can look at bulk matter in such a way that the fundamental atomic character is clearly evident and work has begun to tease out the properties of anti matter. The papers in this book reflect many aspects of modem Atomic Physics. They correspond to the invited talks at a conference dedicated to the study of "New Directions in Atomic Physics," which took place in Magdalene College, Cambridge in July of 1998. The meeting was designed as a way of taking stock of what has been achieved and, it was hoped, as a means of stimulating new research in new areas, along new lines. Consequently, an effort was made to touch on as many directions as we could in the four days of the meeting. We included some talks which overviewed whole subfields, as well as quite a large number of research contributions. There is a unity to Physics and we tried to avoid any artificial division between theory and experiment. We had roughly the same number of talks from those who are primarily concerned with making measurements, and from those who spend their lives trying to develop the theory to describe the experiments.