This book presents a systematic exposition of the general theory of nonlinear contraction semigroups in Banach spaces and is aimed at students and researchers in science and engineering as well as in mathematics. Suitable for use as a textbook in graduate courses and seminars, this self-contained book is accessible to those with only a basic knowledge of functional analysis. After preprequisites presented in the first chapter, Miyadera covers the basic properties of dissipative operators and nonlinear contraction semigroups in Banach spaces. The generation of nonlinear contraction semigroups, the Komura theorem, and the Crandall-Liggett theorem are explored, and there is a treatment of the convergence of difference approximation of Cauchy problems for ????- dissipative operators and the Kobayashi generation theorem of nonlinear semigroups. Nonlinear Semigroups concludes with applications to nonlinear evolution equations and to first order quasilinear equations.

Nonlinear semigroup theory is not only of intrinsic interest, but is also important in the study of evolution problems. In the last forty years, the generation theory of flows of holomorphic mappings has been of great interest in the theory of Markov stochastic branching processes, the theory of composition operators, control theory, and optimization. It transpires that the asymptotic behavior of solutions to evolution equations is applicable to the study of the geometry of certain domains in complex spaces.Readers are provided with a systematic overview of many results concerning both nonlinear semigroups in metric and Banach spaces and the fixed point theory of mappings, which are nonexpansive with respect to hyperbolic metrics (in particular, holomorphic self-mappings of domains in Banach spaces). The exposition is organized in a readable and intuitive manner, presenting basic functional and complex analysis as well as very recent developments.

The original idea of the organizers of the Washington Symposium was to span a fairly narrow range of topics on some recent techniques developed for the investigation of nonlinear partial differential equations and discuss these in a forum of experts. It soon became clear, however, that the dynamical systems approach interfaced significantly with many important branches of applied mathematics. As a consequence, the scope of this resulting proceedings volume is an enlarged one with coverage of a wider range of research topics.

This monograph is concerned with the basic results on Cauchy problems associated with nonlinear monotone operators in Banach spaces with applications to partial differential equations of evolutive type. It focuses on major results in recent decades.

This work deals with the general theory, both linear and non-linear, of operator semigroup product formulas of the type lim [over] n[right arrow][infinity] F(t/n) [superscript]n = G(t). The principal application is the use of the Trotter-Lie product formula e [superscript]tC = lim [over] n[right arrow][infinity] (e [superscript]t/nA e [superscript]t/nB) [superscript]n to define a generalized addition of semigroup generators, and self-adjoint operators in particular. The properties of generalized addition, both regular and pathological, are discussed.

These Proceedings comprise the bulk of the papers presented at the Inter national Conference on Semigroups of Opemtors: Theory and Contro~ held 14-18 December 1998, Newport Beach, California, U.S.A. The intent of the Conference was to highlight recent advances in the the ory of Semigroups of Operators which provides the abstract framework for the time-domain solutions of time-invariant boundary-value/initial-value problems of partial differential equations. There is of course a firewall between the ab stract theory and the applications and one of the Conference aims was to bring together both in the hope that it may be of value to both communities. In these days when all scientific activity is judged by its value on "dot com" it is not surprising that mathematical analysis that holds no promise of an immediate commercial product-line, or even a software tool-box, is not high in research priority. We are particularly pleased therefore that the National Science Foundation provided generous financial support without which this Conference would have been impossible to organize. Our special thanks to Dr. Kishan Baheti, Program Manager.

This research monograph deals with nonlinear evolution operators and semigroups generated by dissipative (accretive), possibly multivalued operators, as well as with the application of this theory to partial differential equations. It shows that a large class of PDE's can be studied via the semigroup approach. This theory is not available otherwise in the self-contained form provided by these Notes and moreover a considerable part of the results, proofs and methods are not to be found in other books. The exponential formula of Crandall and Liggett, some simple estimates due to Kobayashi and others, the characterization of compact semigroups due to Brézis, the proof of a fundamental property due to Ursescu and the author and some applications to PDE are of particular interest. Assuming only basic knowledge of functional analysis, the book will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in nonlinear analysis and PDE, and to mathematical physicists.

This is the first publication which follows an agreement by Kluwer Publishers with the Caribbean Mathematics Foundation (CMF), to publish the proceedings of its mathematical activities. To which one should add a disclaimer of sorts, namely that this volume is not the first in a series, because it is not first, and be cause neither party to the agreement construes these publications as elements of a series. Like the work of CMF, the arrangement between it and Kluwer Publishers, evolved gradually, empirically. CMF was created in 1988, and inaugurated with a conference on Ordered Algebraic Structures. Every year since there have been gatherings on a variety of mathematical topics: Locales and Topological Groups in 1989; Positive Operators in 1990; Finite Geometry and Abelian Groups in 1991; Semigroups of Operators last year. It should be stressed, however that in preparing for the first conference, there was no plan which might have augured what came after. One could say that one thing led to another, and one would be right enough.