This volume presents the contributions of the participants in the Sixth International Swarm Seminar, held August 2-5, 1989, at the Webb Institute in Glen Cove, New York. The Swarm Seminars are traditionally held as relatively small satellite conferences of the International Conference on the Physics of Electronic and Atomic Collisions (ICPEAC) which occurs every two years. The 1989 ICPEAC took place in New York City prior to the Swarm Seminar. The focus of the Swarm Seminars has been on basic research relevant to understanding the transport of charged particles, mainly electrons and ions, in weakly ionized gases. This is a field that tends to bridge the gap between studies of fundamental binary atomic and molecular collision processes and studies of electrical breakdown or discharge phenomena in gases. Topics included in the 1989 seminar ranged the gamut from direct determinations of charged-particle collision cross sections to use of cross sections and swarm parameters to model the behavior of electrical gas discharges. Although the range of subjects covered was in many respects similar to that of previous seminars, there was an emphasis on certain selected themes that tended to give this seminar a distinctly different flavor. There was, for example, considerable discussion on the meaning of "equilibrium" and the conditions under which nonequilibrium effects become important in the transport of electrons through a gas.

This volume presents the contributions of the participants in the Sixth International Swarm Seminar, held August 2-5, 1989, at the Webb Institute in Glenn Cove, New York. The Swarm Seminars are traditionally held as relatively small satellite conferences of the International Conference on the Physics of Electronic and Atomic Collisions (ICPEAC) which occurs every two years. The 1989 ICPEAC took place in New York City prior to the Swarm Seminar. The focus of the Swarm Seminars has been on basic research relevant to understanding the transport of charged particles, mainly electrons and ions, in weakly ionized gases. This field that tends to bridge the gap between studies of fundamental binary atomic and molecular collision processes and studies of electrical breakdown or discharge phenomena in gases. Topics includes in the 1989 seminar ranged the gamut from direct determinations of charged-particle collision cross sections to use of cross sections and swarm parameters to model the behavior of electrical gas discharges. The range of subjects covered was in many respects similar to that of previous seminars. (js).

The latest volume in the highly acclaimed series addresses atomic collisions, assessing the status of the current knowledge, identifying deficiencies, and exploring ways to improve the quality of cross-section data.Eleven articles, written by foremost experts, focus on cross-section determination by experiment or theory, on needs in selected applications, and on efforts toward the compilation and dissemination of data. This is the first volume edited under the additional direction of Herbert Walther. Presents absolute cross sections for atomic collisions Uses benchmark measurements and benchmark calculations Discusses needs for cross-section data in applications Contains a guide to data resources, bibliographies, and compendia

The fundamental understanding of the production of biological effects by ionizing radiation may well be one of the most important scientific objectives of mankind; such understanding could lead to the effective and safe utilization of the nuclear energy option. In addition, this knowledge will be of immense value in such diverse fields as radiation therapy and diagnosis and in the space program. To achieve the above stated objective, the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors embarked upon a fundamental interdisciplinary research program some 35 years ago. A critical component of this program is the Radiological and Chemical Physics Program (RCPP). When the RCPP was established, there was very little basic knowledge in the fields of physics, chemistry, and biology that could be directly applied to understanding the effects of radiation on biological systems. Progress of the RCPP program in its first 15 years was documented in the proceedings of a conference held at Airlie, Virginia, in 1972. At this conference, it was clear that considerable progr:ess had been made in research on the physical and chemical processes in well-characterized systems that could be used to understand biological effects. During this period of time, most physical knowledge was obtained for the gas phase because the technology and instru mentation had not progressed to the point that measurements could be made in liquids more characteristic of biological materials.

Gaseous Dielectrics IX covers recent advances and developments in a wide range of basic, applied, and industrial areas of gaseous dielectrics.