Presents in a systematic and unified manner the ray method, in its various forms, for studying nonlinear wave propagation in situations of physical interest, essentially fluid dynamics and plasma physics.

Presents in a systematic and unified manner the ray method, in its various forms, for studying nonlinear wave propagation in situations of physical interest, essentially fluid dynamics and plasma physics.

Although the mathematical theory of nonlinear waves and solitons has made great progress, its applications to concrete physical problems are rather poor, especially when compared with the classical theory of linear dispersive waves and nonlinear fluid motion. The Whitham method, which describes the combining action of the dispersive and nonlinear effects as modulations of periodic waves, is not widely used by applied mathematicians and physicists, though it provides a direct and natural way to treat various problems in nonlinear wave theory. Therefore it is topical to describe recent developments of the Whitham theory in a clear and simple form suitable for applications in various branches of physics.This book develops the techniques of the theory of nonlinear periodic waves at elementary level and in great pedagogical detail. It provides an introduction to a Whitham's theory of modulation in a form suitable for applications. The exposition is based on a thorough analysis of representative examples taken from fluid mechanics, nonlinear optics and plasma physics rather than on the formulation and study of a mathematical theory. Much attention is paid to physical motivations of the mathematical methods developed in the book. The main applications considered include the theory of collisionless shock waves in dispersive systems and the nonlinear theory of soliton formation in modulationally unstable systems. Exercises are provided to amplify the discussion of important topics such as singular perturbation theory, Riemann invariants, the finite gap integration method, and Whitham equations and their solutions.

The third of three volumes on partial differential equations, this is devoted to nonlinear PDE. It treats a number of equations of classical continuum mechanics, including relativistic versions, as well as various equations arising in differential geometry, such as in the study of minimal surfaces, isometric imbedding, conformal deformation, harmonic maps, and prescribed Gauss curvature. In addition, some nonlinear diffusion problems are studied. It also introduces such analytical tools as the theory of L^p Sobolev spaces, Holder spaces, Hardy spaces, and Morrey spaces, and also a development of Calderon-Zygmund theory and paradifferential operator calculus. The book is targeted at graduate students in mathematics and at professional mathematicians with an interest in partial differential equations, mathematical physics, differential geometry, harmonic analysis, and complex analysis. The third edition further expands the material by incorporating new theorems and applications throughout the book, and by deepening connections and relating concepts across chapters. It includes new sections on rigid body motion, on probabilistic results related to random walks, on aspects of operator theory related to quantum mechanics, on overdetermined systems, and on the Euler equation for incompressible fluids. The appendices have also been updated with additional results, ranging from weak convergence of measures to the curvature of Kahler manifolds. Michael E. Taylor is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Review of first edition: “These volumes will be read by several generations of readers eager to learn the modern theory of partial differential equations of mathematical physics and the analysis in which this theory is rooted.” (Peter Lax, SIAM review, June 1998)

The current research into solitons and their use in fiber optic communications is very important to the future of communications. Since the advent of computer networking and high speed data transmission technology people have been striving to develop faster and more reliable communications media. Optical pulses tend to broaden over relatively short distances due to dispersion, but solitons on the other hand are not as susceptible to the effects of dispersion, and although they are subject to losses due to attenuation they can be amplified without being received and re-transmitted.This book is the first to provide a thorough overview of optical solitons. The main purpose of this book is to present the rapidly developing field of Spatial Optical Solitons starting from the basic concepts of light self-focusing and self-trapping. It will introduce the fundamental concepts of the theory of nonlinear waves and solitons in non-integrated but physically realistic models of nonlinear optics including their stability and dynamics. Also, it will summarize a number of important experimental verification of the basic theoretical predictions and concepts covering the observation of self-focusing in the earlier days of nonlinear optics and the most recent experimental results on spatial solitons, vortex solitons, and soliton interaction & spiraling.* Introduces the fundamental concepts of the theory of nonlinear waves and solitons through realistic models * Material is based on authors' years of experience actively working in and researching the field* Summarizes the most important experimental verification of the basic theories, predictions and concepts of this ever evolving field from the earliest studies to the most recent

Waves are essential phenomena in most scientific and engineering disciplines, such as electromagnetism and optics, and different mechanics including fluid, solid, structural, quantum, etc. They appear in linear and nonlinear systems. Some can be observed directly and others are not. The features of the waves are usually described by solutions to either linear or nonlinear partial differential equations, which are fundamental to the students and researchers.Generic equations, describing wave and pulse propagation in linear and nonlinear systems, are introduced and analyzed as initial/boundary value problems. These systems cover the general properties of non-dispersive and dispersive, uniform and non-uniform, with/without dissipations. Methods of analyses are introduced and illustrated with analytical solutions. Wave-wave and wave-particle interactions ascribed to the nonlinearity of media (such as plasma) are discussed in the final chapter.This interdisciplinary textbook is essential reading for anyone in above mentioned disciplines. It was prepared to provide students with an understanding of waves and methods of solving wave propagation problems. The presentation is self-contained and should be read without difficulty by those who have adequate preparation in classic mechanics. The selection of topics and the focus given to each provide essential materials for a lecturer to cover the bases in a linear/nonlinear wave course.

In this rapidly evolving world of knowledge and technology, do you ever wonder how hydrology is catching up? Here, two highly qualified scientists edit a volume that takes the angle of computational hydrology and envision one of the science’s future directions – namely, the quantitative integration of high-quality hydrologic field data with geologic, hydrologic, chemical, atmospheric, and biological information to characterize and predict natural systems in hydrological sciences.

Focuses on fundamental mathematical and computational methods underpinning physics. Relevant to statistical physics, chaotic and complex systems, classical and quantum mechanics, classical and quantum integrable systems and classical and quantum field theory.