Electron and photon collision phenomena in atoms, molecules and clusters

“北极光”产生的机制是什么？当x射线或其他高能辐射进入我们的身体时，释放的电子会发生什么？如何使用激光冷却和原子阱来获得工业等离子体中碰撞过程的数据？如何产生硫原子或氧原子束并用于量化行星大气中发生的过程？像水这样的分子在受到电子轰击时是如何分解的？它们得到特定碎片的几率有多大？分子团簇与相同材料的气体或固体有何不同？如何利用它们来阐明大气污染问题？实验学家和理论学家怎样才能最好地合作建立精确的碰撞模型？这些只是我们将在下一个拨款期尝试回答的一些问题。为了实现这一目标，我们计划了一系列复杂的实验，涉及电子束、光和各种目标。我们将使用最先进的技术，包括激光冷却和原子捕获，独特的亚稳态原子检测，以及质量，光学和电子能谱。许多实验的设计是为了提供精确的数据，以完善当前的理论思想。将与在加拿大和世界各地从事相关工作的其他科学家保持密切合作。所考虑的研究领域处于该领域世界研究的前沿。有些是受高科技产业对信息需求的驱使。除了它们的基本重要性之外，所获得的数据将对大气和行星物理学、极光、等离子蚀刻和沉积装置、生物材料的辐射损伤和纳米技术具有重要意义。

What are the mechanisms responsible for the "Northern Lights" ? What happens to the electrons which are released when X-rays or other high energy radiation enters our bodies ? How can laser cooling and atom traps be used to obtain data about collision processes in industrial plasmas ? How can beams of sulphur or oxygen atoms be produced and used to quantify processes occurring in planetary atmospheres ? In what ways do molecules like water break up when bombarded with electrons and what are the chances of getting particular fragments when they do ? How are molecular clusters different from gases or solids of the same material and how can they be used to shed light on problems of atmospheric pollution ? How can experimentalists and theoreticians work together best to establish accurate collision models ? These are just some of the questions that we will be trying to answer during the next grant period. To help accomplish this we plan a range of sophisticated experiments involving beams of electrons, light and a variety of targets. We will be using state-of-the-art techniques including laser cooling and trapping of atoms, unique metastable atom detection, and mass, optical and electron spectrometries. Many of the experiments are designed to provide accurate data for refinement of current theoretical ideas. Close collaboration will be maintained with other scientists doing related work in Canada and around the world. The research areas under consideration are at the forefront of world research in this field. Some are motivated by demands for information by high-technology industry. In addition to their fundamental importance, the data obtained will have significance for atmospheric and planetary physics, the aurora, plasma etching and deposition devices, radiation damage in biological materials and nanotechnology.