Dynamical theory of intermediate molecular phenomena in heavy ion scattering

A general formulation of the collision between two heavy ions is presented. While this formalism may also be applied to nuclear structure problems, the emphasis is placed upon the electronic structure. Molecular and relativistic effects on the electronic motion are incorporated into the formalism through the two-centre-many-body-Dirac equation. The various couplings of the electronic system to the nuclear system are illustrated in two cases. First the relative nuclear motion is treated quantum mechanically and then the semiclassical description of this motion is presented. The formalism is applied to inner shell vacancy production, molecular X-ray transitions and both induced and autoionized positron spectra of the quantum electrodynamics of strong fields. Also induced and spontaneous and induced radiationless transitions are discussed.