Nonlinear evolution equations arise in many fields of sciences including physics, mechanics, and material science. This book introduces some important methods for dealing with these equations and explains clearly and concisely a wide range of relevant theories and techniques. These include the semigroup method, the compactness and monotone operator

This book mainly serves as an elementary, self-contained introduction to several important aspects of the theory of global solutions to initial value problems for nonlinear evolution equations. The book employs the classical method of continuation of local solutions with the help of a priori estimates obtained for small data. The existence and uniqueness of small, smooth solutions that are defined for all values of the time parameter are investigated. Moreover, the asymptotic behaviour of the solutions is described as time tends to infinity. The methods for nonlinear wave equations are discussed in detail. Other examples include the equations of elasticity, heat equations, the equations of thermoelasticity, Schrödinger equations, Klein-Gordon equations, Maxwell equations and plate equations. To emphasize the importance of studying the conditions under which small data problems offer global solutions, some blow-up results are briefly described. Moreover, the prospects for corresponding initial boundary value problems and for open questions are provided. In this second edition, initial-boundary value problems in waveguides are additionally considered.

This volume contains 30 research papers presenting the recent development and trend on the following subjects: nonlinear hyperbolic equations (systems); nonlinear parabolic equations (systems); infinite-dimensional dynamical systems; applications (free boundary problems, phase transitions, etc.).

This book gathers the revised lecture notes from a seminar course offered at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 1986, then in Tokyo in 1987. An additional chapter has been added to reflect more recent advances in the field.