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This concise volume presents an overview of equations of mathematical physics and generalized functions. While intended for advanced readers, the accessible introduction and text structure allows beginners to study at their own pace as the material gradually increases in difficulty. The text introduces the concept of generalized Sobolev functions and L. Schwartz distributions briefly in the opening section, gradually approaching a more in-depth study of the “generalized” differential equation (also known as integral equality). In contrast to the traditional presentation of generalized Sobolev functions and L. Schwartz distributions, this volume derives the topology from two natural requirements (which are equivalent to it). The text applies the same approach to the theory of the canonical Maslov operator. It also features illustrative drawings and helpful supplementary reading in the footnotes concerning historical and bibliographic information related to the subject of the book. Additionally, the book devotes a special chapter to the application of the theory of pseudodifferential operators and Sobolev spaces to the inverse magneto/electroencephalography problem. Explicit numerically realizable formulas related to the Cauchy problem for elliptic equations (including quasilinear ones) and also to the Poincaré--Steklov operators are presented. The book is completed by three additions, which were written by famous mathematicians Yu. V. Egorov, A. B. Antonevich, and S. N. Samborski.

From molecular motors to bacteria, from crawling cells to large animals, active entities are found at all scales in the biological world. Active matter encompasses systems whose individual constituents irreversibly dissipate energy to exert self-propelling forces on their environment. Over the past twenty years, scientists have managed to engineer synthetic active particles in the lab, paving the way towards smart active materials. This book gathers a pedagogical set of lecture notes that cover topics in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and active matter. These lecture notes stem from the first summer school on Active Matter delivered at the Les Houches school of Physics. The lectures covered four main research directions: collective behaviours in active-matter systems, passive and active colloidal systems, biophysics and active matter, and nonequilibrium statistical physics—from passive to active.

This book discusses analytic and asymptotic methods relevant to radiative transfer in dilute media, such as stellar and planetary atmospheres. Several methods, providing exact expressions for the radiation field in a semi-infinite atmosphere, are described in detail and applied to unpolarized and polarized continuous spectra and spectral lines. Among these methods, the Wiener–Hopf method, introduced in 1931 for a stellar atmospheric problem, is used today in fields such as solid mechanics, diffraction theory, or mathematical finance. Asymptotic analyses are carried out on unpolarized and polarized radiative transfer equations and on a discrete time random walk. Applicable when photons undergo a large number of scatterings, they provide criteria to distinguish between large-scale diffusive and non-diffusive behaviors, typical scales of variation of the radiation field, such as the thermalization length, and specific descriptions for regions close and far from boundaries. Its well organized synthetic view of exact and asymptotic methods of radiative transfer makes this book a valuable resource for both graduate students and professional scientists in astrophysics and beyond.

This thesis is concerned with flows through cascades, i.e. periodic arrays of obstacles. Such geometries are relevant to a range of physical scenarios, chiefly the aerodynamics and aeroacoustics of turbomachinery flows. Despite the fact that turbomachinery is of paramount importance to a number of industries, many of the underlying mechanisms in cascade flows remain opaque. In order to clarify the function of different physical parameters, the author considers six separate problems. For example, he explores the significance of realistic blade geometries in predicting turbomachinery performance, and the possibility that porous blades can achieve noise reductions. In order to solve these challenging problems, the author deploys and indeed develops techniques from across the spectrum of complex analysis: the Wiener–Hopf method, Riemann–Hilbert problems, and the Schottky–Klein prime function all feature prominently. These sophisticated tools are then used to elucidate the underlying mathematical and physical structures present in cascade flows. The ensuing solutions greatly extend previous works and offer new avenues for future research. The results are not of simply academic value but are also useful for aircraft designers seeking to balance aeroacoustic and aerodynamic effects.

This book provides state-of-the-art results and theories in homogeneous turbulence, including anisotropy and compressibility effects with extension to quantum turbulence, magneto-hydodynamic turbulence and turbulence in non-newtonian fluids. Each chapter is devoted to a given type of interaction (strain, rotation, shear, etc.), and presents and compares experimental data, numerical results, analysis of the Reynolds stress budget equations and advanced multipoint spectral theories. The role of both linear and non-linear mechanisms is emphasized. The link between the statistical properties and the dynamics of coherent structures is also addressed. Despite its restriction to homogeneous turbulence, the book is of interest to all people working in turbulence, since the basic physical mechanisms which are present in all turbulent flows are explained. The reader will find a unified presentation of the results and a clear presentation of existing controversies. Special attention is givento bridge the results obtained in different research communities. Mathematical tools and advanced physical models are detailed in dedicated chapters.

This volume contains a selection of papers based on presentations given at the S. P. Novikov seminar held at the Steklov Mathematical Institute in Moscow. Topics and speakers were chosen by the well-known expert, S. P. Novikov, one of the leading mathematicians of the twentieth century. His diverse interests are the tradition of the seminar and are reflected in the topics presented in the book. The book begins with Novikov's paper analyzing the position of mathematics and theoretical physics at the beginning of the new millennium. Following is an interview with Novikov published in the Newsletter of the European Mathematical Society presenting the genesis of many of his ideas and his scientific school. The remaining articles address topics in geometry, topology, and mathematical physics. The volume is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in the corresponding areas of mathematics and physics.

The Symposium ·Symmetries in Science VI: From the Rotation Group to Quantum Algebras· was held at the Cloister Mehrerau, Bregenz, Austria, during the period August 2-7, 1992. The Symposium was held in honor of Professor Lawrence C. Biedenharn on the occasion of his 70th birthday. During the academic year 1966/67 I worked as research associate with Larry at Duke University and we have ever since maintained close contact. It was thus natural for me to take the initiative and to organize this Symposium in honor of Larry as a great scientist and friend. The response which the Symposium received showed the favorable reaction by the scientific community to the opportunity provided by the Symposium to honor our colleague, teacher and friend. Equally, the scientific contributions contained in this volume illustrate the high esteem in which he is held. I wish to thank all the scientists who participated in the Symposium and who contributed to this volume. It is due to their commitment that the Symposium was successful. Finally I need to thank those who provided financial and logistical assistance to the Symposium: Dr. John H. Guyon, President of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Dr. Russell R. Dutcher, Dean, College of Science at SIUC, Dr. Maurice A. Wright, Chairman, Department of Physics, SIUC, Dr. Victoria J. Molfese, Office of Research Developement and Administration, SIUC, as well as Dr. Martin Purtscher, Landeshauptmann, Land Vorarlberg Dr. Guntram Lins, Landesrat, Land Vorarlberg.

Following the concept of the EMS series this volume sets out to familiarize the reader to the fundamental ideas and results of modern ergodic theory and to its applications to dynamical systems and statistical mechanics. The exposition starts from the basic of the subject, introducing ergodicity, mixing and entropy. Then the ergodic theory of smooth dynamical systems is presented - hyperbolic theory, billiards, one-dimensional systems and the elements of KAM theory. Numerous examples are presented carefully along with the ideas underlying the most important results. The last part of the book deals with the dynamical systems of statistical mechanics, and in particular with various kinetic equations. This book is compulsory reading for all mathematicians working in this field, or wanting to learn about it.

Reaction-diffusion equations are typical mathematical models in biology, chemistry and physics. These equations often depend on various parame­ ters, e. g. temperature, catalyst and diffusion rate, etc. Moreover, they form normally a nonlinear dissipative system, coupled by reaction among differ­ ent substances. The number and stability of solutions of a reaction-diffusion system may change abruptly with variation of the control parameters. Cor­ respondingly we see formation of patterns in the system, for example, an onset of convection and waves in the chemical reactions. This kind of phe­ nomena is called bifurcation. Nonlinearity in the system makes bifurcation take place constantly in reaction-diffusion processes. Bifurcation in turn in­ duces uncertainty in outcome of reactions. Thus analyzing bifurcations is essential for understanding mechanism of pattern formation and nonlinear dynamics of a reaction-diffusion process. However, an analytical bifurcation analysis is possible only for exceptional cases. This book is devoted to nu­ merical analysis of bifurcation problems in reaction-diffusion equations. The aim is to pursue a systematic investigation of generic bifurcations and mode interactions of a dass of reaction-diffusion equations. This is realized with a combination of three mathematical approaches: numerical methods for con­ tinuation of solution curves and for detection and computation of bifurcation points; effective low dimensional modeling of bifurcation scenario and long time dynamics of reaction-diffusion equations; analysis of bifurcation sce­ nario, mode-interactions and impact of boundary conditions.

Since 1972 the Schools on Nonlinear Physics in Gorky have been a meeting place for Soviet scientists working in this field. Instead of producing for the first time English proceedings it has been decided to present a good cross section of nonlinear physics in the USSR. Thus the participants at the last School were invited to provide English reviews and research papers for these two volumes (which in the years to come will be followed by the proceedings of forthcoming schools). The first volume starts with a historical overview of nonlinear dynamics from Poincaré to the present day and touches topics like attractors, nonlinear oscillators and waves, turbulence, pattern formation, and dynamics of structures in nonequilibrium dissipative media. It then deals with structures, bistabilities, instabilities, chaos, dynamics of defects in 1d systems, self-organizations, solitons, spatio-temporal structures and wave collapse in optical systems, lasers, plasmas, reaction-diffusion systems and solids.

'This book is intended to provide a working knowledge of those parts of exterior differential forms, differential geometry, algebraic and differential topology, Lie groups, vector bundles, and Chern forms that are essential for a deeper understanding of both classical and modern physics and engineering. Included are discussions of analytical and fluid dynamics, electromagnetism (in flat and curved space), thermodynamics, the deformation tensors of elasticity, soap films, special and general relativity, the Dirac operator and spinors, and gauge fields, including Yang-Mills, the Aharonov-Bohm effect, Berry phase, and instanton winding numbers, quarks, and the quark model for mesons. Before a discussion of abstract notions of differential geometry, geometric intuition is developed through a rather extensive introduction to the study of surfaces in ordinary space; consequently, the book should be of interest also to mathematics students. This book will be useful to graduate and advance undergraduate students of physics, engineering or mathematics. It can be used as a course text or for self-study. This third edition includes a new overview of Cartan's exterior differential forms. It previews many of the geometric concepts developed in the text and illustrates their applications to a single extended problem in engineering, namely the Cauchy stresses created by a small twist of an elastic cylindrical rod about its axis'--

And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. Genesis 1,3 Light is not only the basis of our biological existence, but also an essential source of our knowledge about the physical laws of nature, ranging from the seventeenth century geometrical optics up to the twentieth century theory of general relativity and quantum electrodynamics. Folklore Don't give us numbers: give us insight! A contemporary natural scientist to a mathematician The present book is the second volume of a comprehensive introduction to themathematicalandphysicalaspectsofmodernquantum?eldtheorywhich comprehends the following six volumes: Volume I: Basics in Mathematics and Physics Volume II: Quantum Electrodynamics Volume III: Gauge Theory Volume IV: Quantum Mathematics Volume V: The Physics of the Standard Model Volume VI: Quantum Gravitation and String Theory. It is our goal to build a bridge between mathematicians and physicists based on the challenging question about the fundamental forces in • macrocosmos (the universe) and • microcosmos (the world of elementary particles). The six volumes address a broad audience of readers, including both und- graduate and graduate students, as well as experienced scientists who want to become familiar with quantum?eld theory, which is a fascinating topic in modern mathematics and physics.

Quantum groups and quantum algebras as well as non-commutative differential geometry are important in mathematics and considered to be useful tools for model building in statistical and quantum physics. This book, addressing scientists and postgraduates, contains a detailed and rather complete presentation of the algebraic framework. Introductory chapters deal with background material such as Lie and Hopf superalgebras, Lie super-bialgebras, or formal power series. Great care was taken to present a reliable collection of formulae and to unify the notation, making this volume a useful work of reference for mathematicians and mathematical physicists.

This book covers a wide range of phenomena in the natural sciences dominated by notions of universality and renormalization. The contributions in this volume are equally broad in their approach to these phenomena, offering the mathematical as well as the perspective of the applied sciences. They explore renormalization theory in quantum field theory and statistical physics, and its connections to modern mathematics as well as physics on scales from the microscopic to the macroscopic.

Stochastic processes with independent increments on a group are generalized to the concept of'white noise'on a Hopf algebra or bialgebra. The main purpose of the book is the characterization of these processes as solutions of quantum stochastic differential equations in the sense of R.L. Hudsonand K.R. Parthasarathy. The notes are a contribution to quantum probability but they are also related to classical probability, quantum groups, and operator algebras. The Az ma martingales appear as examples of white noise on a Hopf algebra which is a deformation of the Heisenberg group. The book will be of interest to probabilists and quantum probabilists. Specialists in algebraic structures who are curious about the role of their concepts in probablility theory as well as quantum theory may find the book interesting. The reader should havesome knowledge of functional analysis, operator algebras, and probability theory.

Symplectic geometry has its origins as a geometric language for classical mechanics. But it has recently exploded into an independent field interconnected with many other areas of mathematics and physics. The goal of the IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute Graduate Summer School on Symplectic Geometry and Topology was to give an intensive introduction to these exciting areas of current research. Included in this proceedings are lecture notes from the following courses: Introduction to Symplectic Topology by D. McDuff; Holomorphic Curves and Dynamics in Dimension Three by H. Hofer; An Introduction to the Seiberg-Witten Equations on Symplectic Manifolds by C. Taubes; Lectures on Floer Homology by D. Salamon; A Tutorial on Quantum Cohomology by A. Givental; Euler Characteristics and Lagrangian Intersections by R. MacPherson; Hamiltonian Group Actions and Symplectic Reduction by L. Jeffrey; and Mechanics: Symmetry and Dynamics by J. Marsden.

A survey of some problems of current interest in the realm of classical nonlinear electromagnetic theory.

This monograph surveys the role of some associative and non-associative algebras, remarkable by their ubiquitous appearance in contemporary theoretical physics, particularly in particle physics. It concerns the interplay between division algebras, specifically quaternions and octonions, between Jordan and related algebras on the one hand, and unified theories of the basic interactions on the other. Selected applications of these algebraic structures are discussed: quaternion analyticity of Yang-Mills instantons, octonionic aspects of exceptional broken gauge, supergravity theories, division algebras in anyonic phenomena and in theories of extended objects in critical dimensions. The topics presented deal primarily with original contributions by the authors.