Atomic and Molecular Data for Space Astronomy : Needs, Analysis, and Availability

This is a very useful reference book for working astronomers
and astrophysicists. Forming the proceedings of a recent IAU
meeting where the availability and the needs of atomic and
molecular data were discussed, the papers published here
discuss existing and planned instruments for astronomical
spectroscopy from earth-orbiting satellites. In particular,
the atomic and molecular parameters that are, or will be,
needed for analysis of the data obtained by these
instruments are considered. A number of significant
shortcomings in the available databases are identified. The
needs highlighted will be of interest to laboratory
astrophysicists, both experimentalists and theorists, who
canproduce the data required. A second group of papers
provides a current inventory of atomic and molecular data
compilations.