Swift progress and new applications characterize the area of solitons and the inverse scattering transform. There are rapid developments in current nonlinear optical technology: Larger intensities are more available; pulse widths are smaller; relaxation times and damping rates are less significant. In keeping with these advancements, exactly integrable soliton equations, such as $3$-wave resonant interactions and second harmonic generation, are becoming more and more relevant inexperimental applications. Techniques are now being developed for using these interactions to frequency convert high intensity sources into frequency regimes where there are no lasers. Other experiments involve using these interactions to develop intense variable frequency sources, opening up even morepossibilities. This volume contains new developments and state-of-the-art research arising from the conference on the ``Legacy of the Inverse Scattering Transform'' held at Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA). Unique to this volume is the opening section, ``Reviews''. This part of the book provides reviews of major research results in the inverse scattering transform (IST), on the application of IST to classical problems in differential geometry, on algebraic and analytic aspects ofsoliton-type equations, on a new method for studying boundary value problems for integrable partial differential equations (PDEs) in two dimensions, on chaos in PDEs, on advances in multi-soliton complexes, and on a unified approach to integrable systems via Painleve analysis. This conference provided aforum for general exposition and discussion of recent developments in nonlinear waves and related areas with potential applications to other fields. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers interested in mathematics, physics, and engineering.

A study, by two of the major contributors to the theory, of the inverse scattering transform and its application to problems of nonlinear dispersive waves that arise in fluid dynamics, plasma physics, nonlinear optics, particle physics, crystal lattice theory, nonlinear circuit theory and other areas. A soliton is a localised pulse-like nonlinear wave that possesses remarkable stability properties. Typically, problems that admit soliton solutions are in the form of evolution equations that describe how some variable or set of variables evolve in time from a given state. The equations may take a variety of forms, for example, PDEs, differential difference equations, partial difference equations, and integrodifferential equations, as well as coupled ODEs of finite order. What is surprising is that, although these problems are nonlinear, the general solution that evolves from almost arbitrary initial data may be obtained without approximation.

This book presents papers given at a Conference on Inverse Scattering on the Line, held in June 1990 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A wide variety of topics in inverse problems were covered: inverse scattering problems on the line; inverse problems in higher dimensions; inverse conductivity problems; and numerical methods. In addition, problems from statistical physics were covered, including monodromy problems, quantum inverse scattering, and the Bethe ansatz. One of the aims of the conference was to bring together researchers in a variety of areas of inverse problems which have seen intensive activity in recent years. scattering

The Inverse Scattering Transformation and The Theory of Solitons

Inverse Problems in Scattering and Imaging is a collection of lectures from a NATO Advanced Research Workshop that integrates the expertise of physicists and mathematicians in different areas with a common interest in inverse problems. Covering a range of subjects from new developments on the applied mathematics/mathematical physics side to many areas of application, the book achieves a blend of research, review, and tutorial contributions. It is of interest to researchers in the areas of applied mathematics and mathematical physics as well as those working in areas where inverse problems can be applied.

Here is a clearly written introduction to three central areas of inverse problems: inverse problems in electromagnetic scattering theory, inverse spectral theory, and inverse problems in quantum scattering theory. Inverse problems, one of the most attractive parts of applied mathematics, attempt to obtain information about structures by nondestructive measurements. Based on a series of lectures presented by three of the authors, all experts in the field, the book provides a quick and easy way for readers to become familiar with the area through a survey of recent developments in inverse spectral and inverse scattering problems.

Inverse scattering theory is an important area of applied mathematics due to its central role in such areas as medical imaging , nondestructive testing and geophysical exploration. Until recently all existing algorithms for solving inverse scattering problems were based on using either a weak scattering assumption or on the use of nonlinear optimization techniques. The limitations of these methods have led in recent years to an alternative approach to the inverse scattering problem which avoids the incorrect model assumptions inherent in the use of weak scattering approximations as well as the strong a priori information needed in order to implement nonlinear optimization techniques. These new methods come under the general title of qualitative methods in inverse scattering theory and seek to determine an approximation to the shape of the scattering object as well as estimates on its material properties without making any weak scattering assumption and using essentially no a priori information on the nature of the scattering object. This book is designed to be an introduction to this new approach in inverse scattering theory focusing on the use of sampling methods and transmission eigenvalues. In order to aid the reader coming from a discipline outside of mathematics we have included background material on functional analysis, Sobolev spaces, the theory of ill posed problems and certain topics in in the theory of entire functions of a complex variable. This book is an updated and expanded version of an earlier book by the authors published by Springer titled Qualitative Methods in Inverse Scattering Theory Review of Qualitative Methods in Inverse Scattering Theory All in all, the authors do exceptionally well in combining such a wide variety of mathematical material and in presenting it in a well-organized and easy-to-follow fashion. This text certainly complements the growing body of work in inverse scattering and should well suit both new researchers to the field as well as those who could benefit from such a nice codified collection of profitable results combined in one bound volume. SIAM Review, 2006

Inverse scattering theory is a major theme of applied mathematics, and it has applications to such diverse areas as medical imaging, geophysical exploration, and nondestructive testing. The inverse scattering problem is both nonlinear and ill-posed, thus presenting particular problems in the development of efficient inversion algorithms. Although linearized models continue to play an important role in many applications, an increased need to focus on problems in which multiple scattering effects cannot be ignored has led to a central role for nonlinearity, and the possibility of collecting large amounts of data over limited regions of space means that the ill-posed nature of the inverse scattering problem has become a problem of central importance. Initial efforts to address the nonlinear and the ill-posed nature of the inverse scattering problem focused on nonlinear optimization methods. While efficient in many situations, strong a priori information is necessary for their implementation. This problem led to a qualitative approach to inverse scattering theory in which the amount of a priori information is drastically reduced, although at the expense of only obtaining limited information about the values of the constitutive parameters. This qualitative approach (the linear sampling method, the factorization method, the theory of transmission eigenvalues, etc.) is the theme of Inverse Scattering Theory and Transmission Eigenvalues. The authors begin with a basic introduction to the theory, then proceed to more recent developments, including a detailed discussion of the transmission eigenvalue problem; present the new generalized linear sampling method in addition to the well-known linear sampling and factorization methods; and in order to achieve clarification of presentation, focus on the inverse scattering problem for scalar homogeneous media.