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The formation and evolution of complex dynamical structures is one of the most exciting areas of nonlinear physics. Such pattern formation problems are common in practically all systems involving a large number of interacting components. Here, the basic problem is to understand how competing physical forces can shape stable geometries and to explain why nature prefers just these. Motivation for the intensive study of pattern formation phenomena during the past few years derives from an increasing appreciation of the remarkable diversity of behaviour encountered in nonlinear systems and of universal features shared by entire classes of nonlinear processes. As physics copes with ever more ambi...
When images look like something they do so because they are different from what they resemble. This difference is not sufficiently captured by the traditional theories of representation and mimesis, and yet it is the condition for any such theory. Various contemporary image theorists have pointed out that Plato already understood that images are not what they look like. Images have their own existence which cannot be identified with a concept, but should be examined in terms of actions. This book comprises fifteen articles that investigate what images do, particularly in relation to the disciplines of architecture, design and visual arts. It claims that it is the differentiating power of images-their actions-which constitutes their capacity to look like something they are not, as well as create something that does not yet exist. What Images Do addresses the crucial role that images might play in producing and investigating what we have not yet seen or understood in and of reality.
Understanding the spontaneous formation and dynamics of spatiotemporal patterns in dissipative nonequilibrium systems is one of the major challenges in nonlinear science. This collection of expository papers and advanced research articles, written by leading experts, provides an overview of the state of the art. The topics include new approaches to the mathematical characterization of spatiotemporal complexity, with special emphasis on the role of symmetry, as well as analysis and experiments of patterns in a remarkable variety of applied fields such as magnetoconvection, liquid crystals, granular media, Faraday waves, multiscale biological patterns, visual hallucinations, and biological pacemakers. The unitary presentations, guiding the reader from basic fundamental concepts to the most recent research results on each of the themes, make the book suitable for a wide audience.
This book collects contributions to the conference" Dynamics, Bifurcation and Symmetry, new trends and new tools", which was held at the Institut d'Etudes Sci entifiques de Cargese (France), September 3-9, 1993. The first aim of this conference was to gather and summarize the work of the European Bifurcation Theory Group after two years of existence (the EBTG links european laboratories in five countries via an EC grant). Thanks to a NATO ARW grant, the conference developed into an international meeting on bifurcation theory and dynamical systems, with the partic ipation of leading specialists not only from Europe but also from overseas countries (Canada, USA, South America). It was a great ...
This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications PATTERN FORMATION IN CONTINUOUS AND COUPLED SYSTEMS is based on the proceedings of a workshop with the same title, but goes be yond the proceedings by presenting a series of mini-review articles that sur vey, and provide an introduction to, interesting problems in the field. The workshop was an integral part of the 1997-98 IMA program on "EMERG ING APPLICATIONS OF DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS." I would like to thank Martin Golubitsky, University of Houston (Math ematics) Dan Luss, University of Houston (Chemical Engineering), and Steven H. Strogatz, Cornell University (Theoretical and Applied Mechan ics) for their excellent work as organizers of the m...
This volume contains papers contributed to the NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Nonlinear Evolution of Spatio-Temporal Structures in Dissipative Continuous Systems" held in Streitberg, Fed. Rep. Germany, Sept. 24 through 30, 1989. The purpose of the rather long title has been to focus attention on a particularly fruitful direction of research within the broad field covered by terms like Nonlinear Dynamics or Non-Equilibrium Systems. After physicists have been occupied for several decades mainly with the microscopic structure of matter, recent years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in macroscopic patterns and dynamics. Research on these latter phenomena has not been dormant, of course,...
In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in network-based modeling in many branches of science. This book synthesizes some of the common features of many such models, providing a general framework analogous to the modern theory of nonlinear dynamical systems. How networks lead to behavior not typical in a general dynamical system and how the architecture and symmetry of the network influence this behavior are the book’s main themes. Dynamics and Bifurcation in Networks: Theory and Applications of Coupled Differential Equations is the first book to describe the formalism for network dynamics developed over the past 20 years. In it, the authors introduce a definition of a net...
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the use of polarization effects for radar and electromagnetic imaging problems (References 1, 2, and 3). The problem of electro magnetic imaging can be divided into the following areas: (1) Propagation of the Stokes' vector from the transmitter to the target region through various atmospheric conditions (rain, dust, fog, clouds, turbulence, etc.). (2) Scattering of the Stokes' vector from the object. (3) Scattering of the Stokes' vector from the rough surface, terrain, and the volume scattering. (4) Propagation of the Stokes' vector from the target region to the receiver. (5) The characteristics of the receiver relating the Stokes' vec...
This 1985 AMS Summer Research Conference brought together mathematicians interested in multiparameter bifurcation with scientists working on fluid instabilities and chemical reactor dynamics. This proceedings volume demonstrates the mutually beneficial interactions between the mathematical analysis, based on genericity, and experimental studies in these fields. Various papers study steady state bifurcation, Hopf bifurcation to periodic solutions, interactions between modes, dynamic bifurcations, and the role of symmetries in such systems. A section of abstracts at the end of the volume provides guides and pointers to the literature. The mathematical study of multiparameter bifurcation leads to a number of theoretical and practical difficulties, many of which are discussed in these papers. The articles also describe theoretical and experimental studies of chemical reactors, which provide many situations in which to test the mathematical ideas. Other test areas are found in fluid dynamics, particularly in studying the routes to chaos in two laboratory systems, Taylor-Couette flow between rotating cylinders and Rayleigh-Benard convection in a fluid layer.
Bifurcation theory studies how the structure of solutions to equations changes as parameters are varied. The nature of these changes depends both on the number of parameters and on the symmetries of the equations. Volume I discusses how singularity-theoretic techniques aid the understanding of transitions in multiparameter systems. This volume focuses on bifurcation problems with symmetry and shows how group-theoretic techniques aid the understanding of transitions in symmetric systems. Four broad topics are covered: group theory and steady-state bifurcation, equicariant singularity theory, Hopf bifurcation with symmetry, and mode interactions. The opening chapter provides an introduction to these subjects and motivates the study of systems with symmetry. Detailed case studies illustrate how group-theoretic methods can be used to analyze specific problems arising in applications.