The fourth chapter analyzes collisions, while the last chapter discusses the likelihood of collisions and other events."--Jacket.

The guiding light of this monograph is a question easy to understand but difficult to answer: {What is the shape of the universe? In other words, how do we measure the shortest distance between two points of the physical space? Should we follow a straight line, as on a flat table, fly along a circle, as between Paris and New York, or take some other path, and if so, what would that path look like? If you accept that the model proposed here, which assumes a gravitational law extended to a universe of constant curvature, is a good approximation of the physical reality (and I will later outline a few arguments in this direction), then we can answer the above question for distances comparable to those of our solar system. More precisely, this monograph provides a mathematical proof that, for distances of the order of 10 AU, space is Euclidean. This result is, of course, not surprising for such small cosmic scales. Physicists take the flatness of space for granted in regions of that size. But it is good to finally have a mathematical confirmation in this sense. Our main goals, however, are mathematical. We will shed some light on the dynamics of N point masses that move in spaces of non-zero constant curvature according to an attraction law that naturally extends classical Newtonian gravitation beyond the flat (Euclidean) space. This extension is given by the cotangent potential, proposed by the German mathematician Ernest Schering in 1870. He was the first to obtain this analytic expression of a law suggested decades earlier for a 2-body problem in hyperbolic space by Janos Bolyai and, independently, by Nikolai Lobachevsky. As Newton's idea of gravitation was to introduce a force inversely proportional to the area of a sphere the same radius as the Euclidean distance between the bodies, Bolyai and Lobachevsky thought of a similar definition using the hyperbolic distance in hyperbolic space. The recent generalization we gave to the cotangent potential to any number N of bodies, led to the discovery of some interesting properties. This new research reveals certain connections among at least five branches of mathematics: classical dynamics, non-Euclidean geometry, geometric topology, Lie groups, and the theory of polytopes.

This third edition text provides expanded material on the restricted three body problem and celestial mechanics. With each chapter containing new content, readers are provided with new material on reduction, orbifolds, and the regularization of the Kepler problem, all of which are provided with applications. The previous editions grew out of graduate level courses in mathematics, engineering, and physics given at several different universities. The courses took students who had some background in differential equations and lead them through a systematic grounding in the theory of Hamiltonian mechanics from a dynamical systems point of view. This text provides a mathematical structure of celestial mechanics ideal for beginners, and will be useful to graduate students and researchers alike. Reviews of the second edition: "The primary subject here is the basic theory of Hamiltonian differential equations studied from the perspective of differential dynamical systems. The N-body problem is used as the primary example of a Hamiltonian system, a touchstone for the theory as the authors develop it. This book is intended to support a first course at the graduate level for mathematics and engineering students. ... It is a well-organized and accessible introduction to the subject ... . This is an attractive book ... ." (William J. Satzer, The Mathematical Association of America, March, 2009) “The second edition of this text infuses new mathematical substance and relevance into an already modern classic ... and is sure to excite future generations of readers. ... This outstanding book can be used not only as an introductory course at the graduate level in mathematics, but also as course material for engineering graduate students. ... it is an elegant and invaluable reference for mathematicians and scientists with an interest in classical and celestial mechanics, astrodynamics, physics, biology, and related fields.” (Marian Gidea, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2010 d)

This volume contains the invited contributions to the Spring 2012 seminar series at Virginia State University on Mathematical Sciences and Applications. It is a thematic continuation of work presented in Volume 24 of the Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics series. Contributors present their own work as leading researchers to advance their specific fields and induce a genuine interdisciplinary interaction. Thus all articles therein are selective, self-contained, and are pedagogically exposed to foster student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, stimulate graduate and undergraduate research, as well as collaboration between researchers from different areas. The volume features new advances in mathematical research and its applications: anti-periodicity; almost stochastic difference equations; absolute and conditional stability in delayed equations; gamma-convergence and applications to block copolymer morphology; the dynamics of collision and near-collision in celestial mechanics; almost and pseudo-almost limit cycles; rainbows in spheres and connections to ray, wave and potential scattering theory; null-controllability of the heat equation with constraints; optimal control for systems subjected to null-controllability; the Galerkin method for heat transfer in closed channels; wavelet transforms for real-time noise cancellation; signal, image processing and machine learning in medicine and biology; methodology for research on durability, reliability, damage tolerance of aerospace materials and structures at NASA Langley Research Center. The volume is suitable and valuable for mathematicians, scientists and research students in a variety of interdisciplinary fields, namely physical and life sciences, engineering and technology including structures and materials sciences, computer science for signal, image processing and machine learning in medicine.

Considers the 3 -dimensional gravitational n -body problem, n32 , in spaces of constant Gaussian curvature k10 , i.e. on spheres S 3 ?1 , for ?>0 , and on hyperbolic manifolds H 3 ?1, for ?

The two parts of the present volume contain extended conference abstracts corresponding to selected talks given by participants at the "Conference on Hamiltonian Systems and Celestial Mechanics 2014" (HAMSYS2014) (15 abstracts) and at the "Workshop on Virus Dynamics and Evolution" (12 abstracts), both held at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM) in Barcelona from June 2nd to 6th, 2014, and from June 23th to 27th, 2014, respectively. Most of them are brief articles, containing preliminary presentations of new results not yet published in regular research journals. The articles are the result of a direct collaboration between active researchers in the area after working in a dynamic and productive atmosphere. The first part is about Central Configurations, Periodic Orbits and Hamiltonian Systems with applications to Celestial Mechanics – a very modern and active field of research. The second part is dedicated to mathematical methods applied to viral dynamics and evolution. Mathematical modelling of biological evolution currently attracts the interest of both mathematicians and biologists. This material offers a variety of new exciting problems to mathematicians and reasonably inexpensive mathematical methods to evolutionary biologists. It will be of scientific interest to both communities. The book is intended for established researchers, as well as for PhD and postdoctoral students who want to learn more about the latest advances in these highly active areas of research.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ This volume contains the invited contributions from talks delivered in the Fall 2011 series of the Seminar on Mathematical Sciences and Applications 2011 at Virginia State University. Contributors to this volume, who are leading researchers in their fields, present their work in a way to generate genuine interdisciplinary interaction. Thus all articles therein are selective, self-contained, and are pedagogically exposed and help to foster student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to stimulate graduate and undergraduate research and collaboration between researchers in different areas. This work is suitable for both students and researchers in a variety of interdisciplinary fields namely, mathematics as it applies to engineering, physical-chemistry, nanotechnology, life sciences, computer science, finance, economics, and game theory.​

Celestial mechanics is the branch of mathematical astronomy devoted to studying the motions of celestial bodies subject to the Newtonian law of gravitation. This mathematical introductory textbook reveals that even the most basic question in celestial mechanics, the Kepler problem, leads to a cornucopia of geometric concepts: conformal and projective transformations, spherical and hyperbolic geometry, notions of curvature, and the topology of geodesic flows. For advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, this book explores the geometric concepts underlying celestial mechanics and is an ideal companion for introductory courses. The focus on the history of geometric ideas makes it perfect supplementary reading for students in elementary geometry and topology. Numerous exercises, historical notes and an extensive bibliography provide all the contextual information required to gain a solid grounding in celestial mechanics.

Mathematics of Complexity and Dynamical Systems is an authoritative reference to the basic tools and concepts of complexity, systems theory, and dynamical systems from the perspective of pure and applied mathematics. Complex systems are systems that comprise many interacting parts with the ability to generate a new quality of collective behavior through self-organization, e.g. the spontaneous formation of temporal, spatial or functional structures. These systems are often characterized by extreme sensitivity to initial conditions as well as emergent behavior that are not readily predictable or even completely deterministic. The more than 100 entries in this wide-ranging, single source work provide a comprehensive explication of the theory and applications of mathematical complexity, covering ergodic theory, fractals and multifractals, dynamical systems, perturbation theory, solitons, systems and control theory, and related topics. Mathematics of Complexity and Dynamical Systems is an essential reference for all those interested in mathematical complexity, from undergraduate and graduate students up through professional researchers.

The must-have compendium on applied mathematics This is the most authoritative and accessible single-volume reference book on applied mathematics. Featuring numerous entries by leading experts and organized thematically, it introduces readers to applied mathematics and its uses; explains key concepts; describes important equations, laws, and functions; looks at exciting areas of research; covers modeling and simulation; explores areas of application; and more. Modeled on the popular Princeton Companion to Mathematics, this volume is an indispensable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in other disciplines seeking a user-friendly reference book on applied mathematics. Features nearly 200 entries organized thematically and written by an international team of distinguished contributors Presents the major ideas and branches of applied mathematics in a clear and accessible way Explains important mathematical concepts, methods, equations, and applications Introduces the language of applied mathematics and the goals of applied mathematical research Gives a wide range of examples of mathematical modeling Covers continuum mechanics, dynamical systems, numerical analysis, discrete and combinatorial mathematics, mathematical physics, and much more Explores the connections between applied mathematics and other disciplines Includes suggestions for further reading, cross-references, and a comprehensive index