My research interests concern quantum dynamics of few particle atomic systems, by revealing them in atomic structure and collisions. The experimental studies are done with photons, electrons, ions and atoms reacting with atoms, molecules, and matter surfaces. The dynamics in the atomic processes is controlled by the collision energy that we varied from meV to the GeV range. We investigated recombination of cold, free electrons with stored ions, and in these scattering experiments we reach an accuracy superior to traditional photon spectroscopy. Sometimes we induced recombination by strong laser fields. Strong dynamical effects become visible in energetic atomic collisions, these give access to striking many-particle phenomena. Another experimental activity concerns formation of 'hollow atoms' in slow, very highly-charged ions interacting with atoms and surfaces. In development of these techniques we found astounding effects in guiding ions through nano-sized capillaries. An extremely high precision is reached in measuring atomic masses with single highly-charged ions storeed at rest in a Penning trap. We developed this field when increasing the relative accuracy by an order of magnitude by the use of highly-charged ions. The studies are motivated first of all by fundamental physics, it concerns issues from the neutrino mass to halo nuclei and atomic-physics.