Since the publication of the first edition of this book, there have been many im portant new developments in the field of molecular physics. The new methods and results which are most significant for students are treated extensively in this second edition. Among these are in particular single-molecule spectroscopy and the field of molecular electronics, which is in a stage of rapid development, including the areas of electroluminescence and organic light-emitting diodes. In addition, we have ex tended and corrected the earlier material in a number of places. We have also included exercises in this new edition; they will allow students to deepen their understanding and offer a basis for further individual study. The complete solutions to the exercises can be found on the Internet under www. springeronline. com/3-540-40792-S. We are grateful to Mr. C. -D. Bachem and Dr. Th. Schneider of the Springer Verlag for their continuous and very agreeable cooperation during the preparation of the book. We thank our colleague Prof. W. D. Brewer for his competent translation. Stuttgart, February 2004 H. Haken . H. C. Wolf Preface to the First Edition This textbook is intended for use by students of physics, physical chemistry, and theoretical chemistry. The reader is presumed to have a basic knowledge of atomic and quantum physics at the level provided, for example, by the first few chapters in our book The Physics of Atoms and Quanta.weiterlesen