This book presents an introduction to variational analysis, a field which unifies theories and techniques developed in calculus of variations, optimization, and control, and covers convex analysis, nonsmooth analysis, and set-valued analysis. It focuses on problems with constraints, the analysis of which involves set-valued mappings and functions that are not differentiable. Applications of variational analysis are interdisciplinary, ranging from financial planning to steering a flying object. The book is addressed to graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in mathematical sciences, engineering, economics, and finance. A typical reader of the book should be familiar with multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Some basic knowledge in optimization, control, and elementary functional analysis is desirable, but all necessary background material is included in the book.

From its origins in the minimization of integral functionals, the notion of variations has evolved greatly in connection with applications in optimization, equilibrium, and control. This book develops a unified framework and provides a detailed exposition of variational geometry and subdifferential calculus in their current forms beyond classical and convex analysis. Also covered are set-convergence, set-valued mappings, epi-convergence, duality, and normal integrands.

This Volume contains the (refereed) papers presented at the 38th Conference of the School of Mathematics "G.Stampacchia" of the "E.Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture of Erice (Sicily), held in Memory ofG. Stampacchia and J.-L. Lions in the period June 20 - July 2003. The presence of participants from Countries has greatly contributed to the success of the meeting. The School of Mathematics was dedicated to Stampacchia, not only for his great mathematical achievements, but also because He founded it. The core of the Conference has been the various features of the Variational Analysis and their motivations and applications to concrete problems. Variational Analysis encompasses a large area of modem Mathematics, such as the classical Calculus of Variations, the theories of perturbation, approximation, subgradient, subderivates, set convergence and Variational Inequalities, and all these topics have been deeply and intensely dealt during the Conference. In particular, Variational Inequalities, which have been initiated by Stampacchia, inspired by Signorini Problem and the related work of G. Fichera, have offered a very great possibility of applications to several fundamental problems of Mathematical Physics, Engineering, Statistics and Economics. The pioneer work of Stampacchia and Lions can be considered as the basic kernel around which Variational Analysis is going to be outlined and constructed. The Conference has dealt with both finite and infinite dimensional analysis, showing that to carry on these two aspects disjointly is unsuitable for both.

The implicit function theorem is one of the most important theorems in analysis and its many variants are basic tools in partial differential equations and numerical analysis. This second edition of Implicit Functions and Solution Mappings presents an updated and more complete picture of the field by including solutions of problems that have been solved since the first edition was published, and places old and new results in a broader perspective. The purpose of this self-contained work is to provide a reference on the topic and to provide a unified collection of a number of results which are currently scattered throughout the literature. Updates to this edition include new sections in almost all chapters, new exercises and examples, updated commentaries to chapters and an enlarged index and references section.

This is based on the course 'Calculus of Variations' taught at Peking University from 2006 to 2010 for advanced undergraduate to graduate students majoring in mathematics. The book contains 20 lectures covering both the theoretical background material as well as an abundant collection of applications. Lectures 1-8 focus on the classical theory of calculus of variations. Lectures 9-14 introduce direct methods along with their theoretical foundations. Lectures 15-20 showcase a broad collection of applications. The book offers a panoramic view of the very important topic on calculus of variations. This is a valuable resource not only to mathematicians, but also to those students in engineering, economics, and management, etc.

This volume is an excellent guide for anyone interested in variational analysis, optimization, and PDEs. It offers a detailed presentation of the most important tools in variational analysis as well as applications to problems in geometry, mechanics, elasticity, and computer vision.

In this volume are collected notes of lectures delivered at the First In ternational Research Institute of the Mathematical Society of Japan. This conference, held at Tohoku University in July 1993, was devoted to geometry and global analysis. Subsequent to the conference, in answer to popular de mand from the participants, it was decided to publish the notes of the survey lectures. Written by the lecturers themselves, all experts in their respective fields, these notes are here presented in a single volume. It is hoped that they will provide a vivid account of the current research, from the introduc tory level up to and including the most recent results, and will indicate the direction to be taken by future researeh. This compilation begins with Jean-Pierre Bourguignon's notes entitled "An Introduction to Geometric Variational Problems," illustrating the gen eral framework of the field with many examples and providing the reader with a broad view of the current research. Following this, Kenji Fukaya's notes on "Geometry of Gauge Fields" are concerned with gauge theory and its applications to low-dimensional topology, without delving too deeply into technical detail. Special emphasis is placed on explaining the ideas of infi nite dimensional geometry that, in the literature, are often hidden behind rigorous formulations or technical arguments.

This textbook offers a concise yet rigorous introduction to calculus of variations and optimal control theory, and is a self-contained resource for graduate students in engineering, applied mathematics, and related subjects. Designed specifically for a one-semester course, the book begins with calculus of variations, preparing the ground for optimal control. It then gives a complete proof of the maximum principle and covers key topics such as the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman theory of dynamic programming and linear-quadratic optimal control. Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control Theory also traces the historical development of the subject and features numerous exercises, notes and references at the end of each chapter, and suggestions for further study. Offers a concise yet rigorous introduction Requires limited background in control theory or advanced mathematics Provides a complete proof of the maximum principle Uses consistent notation in the exposition of classical and modern topics Traces the historical development of the subject Solutions manual (available only to teachers) Leading universities that have adopted this book include: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ECE 553: Optimum Control Systems Georgia Institute of Technology ECE 6553: Optimal Control and Optimization University of Pennsylvania ESE 680: Optimal Control Theory University of Notre Dame EE 60565: Optimal Control

Since its publication in 1972, the variational principle of Ekeland has found many applications in different fields of Analysis. Some are very scattered in the literature and therein lies the motivation of these notes. They are intended for the use of students and therefore include several detours through related material. Some readers may be surprised to find a chapter on Nemytskii mappings: however their properties are seldom proved though often referred to and the proofs presented here are more straightforward than those in the standard sources of Krasnoselskii or Vainberg. Two chapters cover applications to (semilinear elliptic) PDE. The central chapter is on Brézis' proof of the minimax theorems of Ambrosetti and Rabinowitz. To keep the text self-contained, some convex analysis is developed (for the treatment of the duality mapping) and some geometry of Banach spaces. These notes are based on a course given by the author at the Tata Institute in 1987.

Hilbert's talk at the second International Congress of 1900 in Paris marked the beginning of a new era in the calculus of variations. A development began which, within a few decades, brought tremendous success, highlighted by the 1929 theorem of Ljusternik and Schnirelman on the existence of three distinct prime closed geodesics on any compact surface of genus zero, and the 1930/31 solution of Plateau's problem by Douglas and Radò. The book gives a concise introduction to variational methods and presents an overview of areas of current research in this field. This new edition has been substantially enlarged, a new chapter on the Yamabe problem has been added and the references have been updated. All topics are illustrated by carefully chosen examples, representing the current state of the art in their field.