Dielectronic recombination in atomic ions

The general theory of dielectronic recombination in atomic ions dates back to the seminal work by Bates and Massey in the 1940's. The predictive power of modern day theory hinges on the incorporation of advanced computational techniques for handling the many reaction pathways found in this particular quantum mechanical many-body problem. Of recent interest is the comparison of theory with the growing number of high resolution cross section experiments based on mergin electron and ion beams. We will report on the current status of the agreement between isolated resonance theory and electron target experiments performed using either the Aarhus EN Tandem acclerator or the Heidelberg Test Storage Ring. Future directions for both theory and experiment will be suggested