Filling the need for a solid textbook, this short primer in cluster science is ideal for a one-semester course for advanced undergraduate students, and is based on a series of lectures given by the well established and recognized team of authors over the past ten years.

The book covers both the basics of the topic as well as some recent developments. The text can be divided into two parts: The first three chapters introduce basic concepts of cluster science. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction, complemented by chapter 2 on experimental aspects and chapter 3 on theoretical ones. The second half of the book is devoted to a systematic presentation of free cluster properties, and to a thorough discussion of the impact of clusters in other areas of science. These explicitly worked-out links between cluster physics and other research areas are unique, both in terms of fundamental aspects and of applications, and cannot be found elsewhere in the literature.

From the Contents:

• Clusters in Nature
• Measuring Clusters
• How to Describe Clusters
• Some Properties of Free Clusters
• Clusters in Contact with other Material
• Links to other Areas of Science
• Conclusions and Perspectives