Few of us can any longer keep up with the flood of scientific literature, even in specialized subfields. Any attempt to do more, and be broadly
educated with respect to a large domain of science, has the appearance of
tilting at windmills. Yet the synthesis of ideas drawn from different subjects
into new, powerful, general concepts is as valuable as ever, and the desire to
remain educated persists in all scientists. This series, Advances in Chemical
Physics, is devoted to helping the reader obtain general information about a
wide variety of topics in chemical physics, which field we interpret very
broadly. Our intent is to have experts present comprehensive analyses of
subjects of interest and to encourage the expression of individual points of
view. We hope that this approach to the presentation of an overview of a
subject will both stimulate new research and serve as a personalized learning
text for beginners in a field.