This book provides the mathematical foundations of the theory of hyperhamiltonian dynamics, together with a discussion of physical applications. In addition, some open problems are discussed. Hyperhamiltonian mechanics represents a generalization of Hamiltonian mechanics, in which the role of the symplectic structure is taken by a hyperkähler one (thus there are three Kähler/symplectic forms satisfying quaternionic relations). This has proved to be of use in the description of physical systems with spin, including those which do not admit a Hamiltonian formulation. The book is the first monograph on the subject, which has previously been treated only in research papers.

The first comprehensive graduate-level introduction to stochastic thermodynamics Stochastic thermodynamics is a well-defined subfield of statistical physics that aims to interpret thermodynamic concepts for systems ranging in size from a few to hundreds of nanometers, the behavior of which is inherently random due to thermal fluctuations. This growing field therefore describes the nonequilibrium dynamics of small systems, such as artificial nanodevices and biological molecular machines, which are of increasing scientific and technological relevance. This textbook provides an up-to-date pedagogical introduction to stochastic thermodynamics, guiding readers from basic concepts in statistical physics, probability theory, and thermodynamics to the most recent developments in the field. Gradually building up to more advanced material, the authors consistently prioritize simplicity and clarity over exhaustiveness and focus on the development of readers’ physical insight over mathematical formalism. This approach allows the reader to grow as the book proceeds, helping interested young scientists to enter the field with less effort and to contribute to its ongoing vibrant development. Chapters provide exercises to complement and reinforce learning. Appropriate for graduate students in physics and biophysics, as well as researchers, Stochastic Thermodynamics serves as an excellent initiation to this rapidly evolving field. Emphasizes a pedagogical approach to the subject Highlights connections with the thermodynamics of information Pays special attention to molecular biophysics applications Privileges physical intuition over mathematical formalism Solutions manual available on request for instructors adopting the book in a course

This is the fourth conference on “Supersymmetry and Perturbation Theory” (SPT 2002). The proceedings present original results and state-of-the-art reviews on topics related to symmetry, integrability and perturbation theory, etc.

Contents: An Outline of the Geometrical Theory of the Separation of Variables in the Hamilton-Jacobi and Schrodinger Equations (S Benenti); Partial Symmetries and Symmetric Sets of Solutions to PDEs (G Cicogna); Bifurcations in Flow-Induced Vibrations (S Fatimah & F Verhulst); Steklov-Lyapunov Type Systems (Y Fedorov); Renormalization Group and Summation of Divergent Series for Hyperbolic Invariant Tori (G Gentile); On the Linearization of holomorphic Vector Fields in the Siegel Domain with Linear Parts Having Nontrivial Jordan Blocks (T Gramchev); On the Algebro Geometric Solution of a 3x3 Matrix Riemann-Hilbert Problem (v Enolskii & T Grava); Smooth Normalization of a Vector Field Near an Invariant Manifold ((a Kopanskii); Inverse Problems for SL(2) Lattices (V Kuznetsov); Some Remarks about the Geometry of Hamiltonian Conservation Laws (J P Ortega); Janet's Algorithm (W Plesken); Some Integrable Billiards (E Previato); Symmetries of Relative Equilibria for Simple Mechanical Systems (M R Olmos & M E S Dias); A Spectral Sequences Approach to Normal Forms (J Sanders); Rational Parametrization of Strata in Orbit Spaces of Compact Linear Groups (G Sartori & G Valente); Effective Hamiltonians and Perturbation Theory for Quantum Bound States of Nucleur Motion in Molecules (V Tyuterev); Generalized Hasimoto Transformation and Vector Sine-Gordon Equation (J P Wang); and other papers. Readership: Researchers and graduate students in mathematical and theoretical physics, and nonlinears science.

Processes involving randomly moving particles, which react either upon encounter or via distance-dependent reaction rates, are ubiquitous in nature. A few stray examples are recombination of ions or holes and electrons, excitation energy migration and quenching, trapping of particles by other species, coagulation, binding of ligands and proteins to specific sites, chemotaxis, catalytically-induced self-propulsion, polymerization, growth of dendrites or aggregates, or nuclei of a new phase.Several decades ago, it was recognized that the kinetic behavior in some systems with reactions and random transport is strongly affected by many factors, which were not taken into account in previous studies. These are, to name but a few, fluctuations in the spatial distributions of the reactants and fluctuations of the reactivity, some essentially many-particle phenomena, effects of anomalous diffusion, molecular crowding, as well as the internal geometry of the reaction bath. Within recent years, along with a growing interest in chemical processes ocurring in biological systems or cellular environments, numerous advances have been made and considerable knowledge has been acquired. These seminal contributions are, however, scattered among many journals and no attempt has been made so far to present a unified picture.This book presents a general overview of different contemporary facets of chemical kinetics in a variety of different environments. It includes 23 seminal works and reviews on different aspects of reaction processes in chemical, physical and biophysical systems, both theoretical and experimental.

The study of (nonlinear) dift"erential equations was S. Lie's motivation when he created what is now known as Lie groups and Lie algebras; nevertheless, although Lie group and algebra theory flourished and was applied to a number of dift"erent physical situations -up to the point that a lot, if not most, of current fun damental elementary particles physics is actually (physical interpretation of) group theory -the application of symmetry methods to dift"erential equations remained a sleeping beauty for many, many years. The main reason for this lies probably in a fact that is quite clear to any beginner in the field. Namely, the formidable comple:rity ofthe (algebraic, not numerical!) computations involved in Lie method. I think this does not account completely for this oblivion: in other fields of Physics very hard analytical computations have been worked through; anyway, one easily understands that systems of dOlens of coupled PDEs do not seem very attractive, nor a very practical computational tool.

Mathematical Physics

This volume contains selected papers presented at the Second Workshop on Clifford Algebras and their Applications in Mathematical Physics. These papers range from various algebraic and analytic aspects of Clifford algebras to applications in, for example, gauge fields, relativity theory, supersymmetry and supergravity, and condensed phase physics. Included is a biography and list of publications of Mário Schenberg, who, next to Marcel Riesz, has made valuable contributions to these topics. This volume will be of interest to mathematicians working in the fields of algebra, geometry or special functions, to physicists working on quantum mechanics or supersymmetry, and to historians of mathematical physics.