Atomic cluster physics: new challenges for theory and experiment

A brief introduction to atomic cluster physics, the inter-disciplinary field, which developed fairly successfully during last years, is presented. A review of recent achievements in the detailed ab initio description of structure and properties of atomic clusters and complex molecules is given. The main trends of development in the field are discussed and some of its new focuses are outlined. Particular attention is devoted to the role of quantum and many-body phenomena in the formation of complex multi-atomic systems and the methods of theoretical investigation of their specific properties. The role of the simplified model approaches accurately developed from the fundamental physical principles is stressed. Various illustrations are made for sodium, magnesium clusters, fullerenes and clusters of noble gas atoms.