Electron scattering by atoms and molecules

Recent advances in the scattering of electrons by free atoms and molecules are considered with an emphasis on the interface between experiment and theory. A survey is made of the theory and methods of measurement and their trend towards the perfect scattering experiment. For atomic targets a detailed coverage is given of the various theoretical models and the results compared with experimental data. For elastic and excitation collisions, the low and high energy regions are reasonably well understood. In the medium energy region, extending from a few times the ionization threshold down to about the ionization threshold there are still difficulties arising from the infinite number of open channels. For ionizing collisions, the three body Coulomb interaction still presents unanswered theoretical problems but has inspired some elegant experimental studies. For molecular targets the additional complexities arising from the nuclear motion, the lack of a centre of symmetry and the evaluation of multicentre integrals are considered. A brief discussion of some current problems and possible future developments is given.