Dissociative Recombination is one of the outcomes of collisions between electrons and molecular ions. This reaction dominates many plasmas, dense as well as dilute. Therefore, knowledge about this reaction is highly relevant for astrophysics, atmospheric sciences, (non-)reactive plasmas, and fusion plasmas. A theoretical description of this process requires intensive ab initio quantum chemistry calculations as well as a detailed description of the electron collision process. The high density of states near the ionization energy of molecules renders calculations extremely difficult and complex. In experiments, both discharge and flowing afterglow experiments and fast beam and ion storage ring experiments, a steady development can be seen towards more detailed studies often at the quantum state resolved level including product internal state identification and very recently detailed vector properties such as fragment angular distributions. Thanks to an efficient interplay between experiment and theory dissociative recombination has progressed significantly over the last few years.

The Seventh International Conference on Dissociative Recombination: Theory, Experiments, and Applications (DR2007) was organized by the Institute of Molecules and Materials at the Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands and was held on the Wadden Island of Ameland. Earlier conferences in this series were held at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada (1988), Saint Jacut, Bretagne, France (1992), Ein Gedi, Israel (1995), Nässlingen, Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden (1999), Chicago, USA, as part of the American Chemical Society meeting (2001), and in Mosbach, Germany (2004). Ameland and the Resort d'Amelander Kaap was chosen in the spirit of previous dissociative recombination conferences. It turned out to be a venue where discussions about dissociative recombination could take place around the clock both inside and outside while walking through dunes and on the beach.

The conference was made possible by generous sponsors, whom we thank wholeheartedly: The Radboud University Nijmegen, The Institute for Molecules and Materials of the Radboud University Nijmegen, The Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (Stichting FOM), The Foundation PHYSICA (Stichting Physica), and The Netherlands Royal Academy of Sciences (KNAW). The organisational support by Erna Gouwens van Oss before and during the conference was essential for its success. The help of Thanja Lambrechts and Vitali Zhaunerchyk during the preparation of the proceedings is greatly appreciated. The delay in the publication of these proceedings is entirely caused by the editor. The authors of the contributions are thanked for the quality of their contributions,

Wim J van der Zande, Editor
Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, NL-6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Email: w.vanderzande@science.ru.nl

Participants of the 7th International Conference on Dissociative Recombination: Theory, Experiments and Applications, taken in front of d'Amelander Kaap, the conference venue in Ameland, one of the Wadden Islands in the North of the Netherlands.

Absent from the picture: Detlev Reiter, Brian Mitchell, Jens Hoffmann and Dave Parker