Lively discussions and stimulating research were part of a five-day conference on Mathematical Methods in Nonlinear Wave Propagation sponsored by the NSF and CBMS. This volume is a collection of lectures and papers stemming from that event. Leading experts present dynamical systems and chaos, scattering and spectral theory, nonlinear wave equations, optimal control, optical waveguide design, and numerical simulation. The book is suitable for a diverse audience of mathematical specialists interested in fiber optic communications and other nonlinear phenomena. It is also suitable for engineers and other scientists interested in the mathematics of nonlinear wave propagation.

Earthquakes, a plucked string, ocean waves crashing on the beach, the sound waves that allow us to recognize known voices. Waves are everywhere, and the propagation and classical properties of these apparently disparate phenomena can be described by the same mathematical methods: variational calculus, characteristics theory, and caustics. Taking a medium-by-medium approach, Julian Davis explains the mathematics needed to understand wave propagation in inviscid and viscous fluids, elastic solids, viscoelastic solids, and thermoelastic media, including hyperbolic partial differential equations and characteristics theory, which makes possible geometric solutions to nonlinear wave problems. The result is a clear and unified treatment of wave propagation that makes a diverse body of mathematics accessible to engineers, physicists, and applied mathematicians engaged in research on elasticity, aerodynamics, and fluid mechanics. This book will particularly appeal to those working across specializations and those who seek the truly interdisciplinary understanding necessary to fully grasp waves and their behavior. By proceeding from concrete phenomena (e.g., the Doppler effect, the motion of sinusoidal waves, energy dissipation in viscous fluids, thermal stress) rather than abstract mathematical principles, Davis also creates a one-stop reference that will be prized by students of continuum mechanics and by mathematicians needing information on the physics of waves.

Nonlinear physics is a well-established discipline in physics today, and this book offers a comprehensive account of the basic soliton theory and its applications. Although primarily mathematical, the theory for nonlinear phenomena in practical environment

Nonlinear Waves in Integrable and Nonintegrable Systems presents cutting-edge developments in the theory and experiments of nonlinear waves. Its comprehensive coverage of analytical and numerical methods for nonintegrable systems is the first of its kind. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students working in applied mathematics and various physical subjects where nonlinear wave phenomena arise (such as nonlinear optics, Bose-Einstein condensates, and fluid dynamics).

Now in an accessible paperback edition, this classic work is just as relevant as when it first appeared in 1974, due to the increased use of nonlinear waves. It covers the behavior of waves in two parts, with the first part addressing hyperbolic waves and the second addressing dispersive waves. The mathematical principles are presented along with examples of specific cases in communications and specific physical fields, including flood waves in rivers, waves in glaciers, traffic flow, sonic booms, blast waves, and ocean waves from storms.

"Waves and Structures in Nonlinear Nondispersive Media: General Theory and Applications to Nonlinear Acoustics” is devoted completely to nonlinear structures. The general theory is given here in parallel with mathematical models. Many concrete examples illustrate the general analysis of Part I. Part II is devoted to applications to nonlinear acoustics, including specific nonlinear models and exact solutions, physical mechanisms of nonlinearity, sawtooth-shaped wave propagation, self-action phenomena, nonlinear resonances and engineering application (medicine, nondestructive testing, geophysics, etc.). This book is designed for graduate and postgraduate students studying the theory of nonlinear waves of various physical nature. It may also be useful as a handbook for engineers and researchers who encounter the necessity of taking nonlinear wave effects into account of their work. Dr. Gurbatov S.N. is the head of Department, and Vice Rector for Research of Nizhny Novgorod State University. Dr. Rudenko O.V. is the Full member of Russian Academy of Sciences, the head of Department at Moscow University and Professor at BTH (Sweden). Dr. Saichev A.I. is the Professor at the Faculty of Radiophysics of Nizhny Novgorod State University, Professor of ETH Zürich.

These lecture notes of the courses presented at the first CIME session 1994 by leading scientists present the state of the art in recent mathematical methods in Nonlinear Wave Propagation.