This largely self-contained research monograph addresses the following type of questions. Suppose one encounters a continuous time dynamical system with some built-in symmetry. Should one expect periodic motions which somehow reflect this symmetry? And how would periodicity harmonize with symmetry? Probing into these questions leads from dynamics to topology, algebra, singularity theory, and to many applications. Within a global approach, the emphasis is on periodic motions far from equilibrium. Mathematical methods include bifurcation theory, transversality theory, and generic approximations. A new homotopy invariant is designed to study the global interdependence of symmetric periodic motions. Besides mathematical techniques, the book contains 5 largely nontechnical chapters. The first three outline the main questions, results and methods. A detailed discussion pursues theoretical consequences and open problems. Results are illustrated by a variety of applications including coupled oscillators and rotating waves: these links to such disciplines as theoretical biology, chemistry, fluid dynamics, physics and their engineering counterparts make the book directly accessible to a wider audience.

This book is a compilation of high quality papers focussing on five major areas of active development in the wide field of differential equations: dynamical systems, infinite dimensions, global attractors and stability, computational aspects, and applications. It is a valuable reference for researchers in diverse disciplines, ranging from mathematics through physics, engineering, chemistry, nonlinear science to the life sciences.

This book provides a crash course on various methods from the bifurcation theory of Functional Differential Equations (FDEs). FDEs arise very naturally in economics, life sciences and engineering and the study of FDEs has been a major source of inspiration for advancement in nonlinear analysis and infinite dimensional dynamical systems. The book summarizes some practical and general approaches and frameworks for the investigation of bifurcation phenomena of FDEs depending on parameters with chap. This well illustrated book aims to be self contained so the readers will find in this book all relevant materials in bifurcation, dynamical systems with symmetry, functional differential equations, normal forms and center manifold reduction. This material was used in graduate courses on functional differential equations at Hunan University (China) and York University (Canada).

This book is a compilation of high quality papers focussing on five major areas of active development in the wide field of differential equations: dynamical systems, infinite dimensions, global attractors and stability, computational aspects, and applications. It is a valuable reference for researchers in diverse disciplines, ranging from mathematics through physics, engineering, chemistry, nonlinear science to the life sciences

Adopting a cross-disciplinary approach, the review character of this monograph sets it apart from specialized journals. The editor is advised by a first-class board of international scientists, such that the carefully selected and invited contributions represent the latest and most relevant findings. The resulting review enables both researchers and newcomers in life science, physics, and chemistry to access the most important results in this field, using a common language.

Symmetry is a property which occurs throughout nature and it is therefore natural that symmetry should be considered when attempting to model nature. In many cases, these models are also nonlinear and it is the study of nonlinear symmetric models that has been the basis of much recent work. Although systematic studies of nonlinear problems may be traced back at least to the pioneering contributions of Poincare, this remains an area with challenging problems for mathematicians and scientists. Phenomena whose models exhibit both symmetry and nonlinearity lead to problems which are challenging and rich in complexity, beauty and utility. In recent years, the tools provided by group theory and representation theory have proven to be highly effective in treating nonlinear problems involving symmetry. By these means, highly complex situations may be decomposed into a number of simpler ones which are already understood or are at least easier to handle. In the realm of numerical approximations, the systematic exploitation of symmetry via group repre sentation theory is even more recent. In the hope of stimulating interaction and acquaintance with results and problems in the various fields of applications, bifurcation theory and numerical analysis, we organized the conference and workshop Bifurcation and Symmetry: Cross Influences between Mathematics and Applications during June 2-7,8-14, 1991 at the Philipps University of Marburg, Germany.

This work comprises a general study of symmetry breaking for compact Lie groups in the context of equivariant bifurcation theory. We begin by extending the theory developed by Field and Richardson for absolutely irreducible representations of finite groups to general irreducible representations of compact Lie groups, while allowing for branches of relative equilibria and phenomena such as the Hopf bifurcation. We also present a general theory of determinacy for irreducible Lie group actions. We show that branching patterns for generic equivariant bifurcation problems defined on irreducible representations persist under perturbations by sufficiently high order non-equivariant terms.