Electron-impact ionization of atoms, molecules, ions and transient species

This topical review examines the current status of the electron impact ionization of atoms, molecules, ions and transient species such as free radicals and atoms/molecules in metastable states from the point of a view of the relevance of these processes for the physics and chemistry of low-temperature and moderate-temperature plasmas. The primary emphasis of this review is on recent developments in the measurement (and to a lesser extent also in the calculation) of absolute total and partial angle-integrated electron impact ionization cross sections. An attempt is also made to identify the most promising directions for future research in this field.