Relativistic ion–atom collisions and very strong fields

Abstract

After characterizing the properties and experimental possibilities of very strong fields, a brief outline is given of the basic processes that can occur if highly charged projectiles up to bare uranium nuclei collide with heavy atoms at relativistic velocities. Besides direct reactions and transfer, the attention is focused on single and multiple electron–positron pair production. Open problems and difficulties are pointed out. The resulting opportunities and challenges are addressed.