Atomic and molecular spectroscopy has provided basic information leading to the development of quantum mechanics and to the understanding of the building blocks of matter. It continues to provide further insight into the statics and dynamics of the microcosmos, and provides the ·means for test ing new concepts and computational methods. The results of atomic and molecular spectroscopy are of great importance in astrophysics, plasma and laser physics. The rapidly growing field of spectroscopic applications has made considerable impact on many disciplines, including medicine, envi ronmental protection, chemical processing and energy research. In particu lar, the techniques of electron and laser spectroscopy, the subjects of the 1981 Nobel prize in physics, have contributed much to the analytical poten tial of spectroscopy. This textbook on Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy has been pre pared to provide an overview of modern spectroscopic methods. It is in tended to serve as a text for a course on the subject for final-year under graduate physics students or graduate students. It should also be useful for students of astrophysics and chemistry. The text has evolved from courses on atomic and molecular spectroscopy given by the author since 1975 at Chalmers University of Technology and at the Lund Institute of Technol ogy. References are given to important books and review articles which of different aspects of atomic and molecular allow more detailed studies spectroscopy. No attempt has been made to cover all important references, nor have priority aspects been systematically considered.

Contributors to this volume focus on the fundamentals of the technique of analyzing material based on the atomic weight of the species, using the power and definition of lasers to enable measurement of smaller quantities and more finely localized particles. Each chapter deals with a particular application area and should be sufficient to form an entry point for the utilization of mass spectrometry by graduate students and researchers. The book provides the first full discussion of the new techniques of laser applications in the field.

Twenty-two experts give a thorough overview of contemporary laser technology in chemical analysis. Chapters detail such methods as Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy, Two-Photon Excited Fluorescence, Remote Sensing with Lasers, Thermal Lens Effects, and many others. Coverage generally includes principles of the methods, diagrams of instrumental configurations, typical figures of merit, examples of applications of analytical problems, and speculation about the future.