For a given plane domain, the author adds a constant multiple of the Dirac measure at a point in the domain and makes a new domain called a quadrature domain. The quadrature domain is characterized as a domain such that the integral of a harmonic and integrable function over the domain equals the integral of the function over the given domain plus the integral of the function with respect to the added measure. The family of quadrature domains can be modeled as the Hele-Shaw flow with a free-boundary problem. The given domain is regarded as the initial domain and the support point of the Dirac measure as the injection point of the flow.

This monograph covers a multitude of concepts, results, and research topics originating from a classical moving-boundary problem in two dimensions (idealized Hele-Shaw flows, or classical Laplacian growth), which has strong connections to many exciting modern developments in mathematics and theoretical physics. Of particular interest are the relations between Laplacian growth and the infinite-size limit of ensembles of random matrices with complex eigenvalues; integrable hierarchies of differential equations and their spectral curves; classical and stochastic Löwner evolution and critical phenomena in two-dimensional statistical models; weak solutions of hyperbolic partial differential equations of singular-perturbation type; and resolution of singularities for compact Riemann surfaces with anti-holomorphic involution. The book also provides an abundance of exact classical solutions, many explicit examples of dynamics by conformal mapping as well as a solid foundation of potential theory. An extensive bibliography covering over twelve decades of results and an introduction rich in historical and biographical details complement the eight main chapters of this monograph. Given its systematic and consistent notation and background results, this book provides a self-contained resource. It is accessible to a wide readership, from beginner graduate students to researchers from various fields in natural sciences and mathematics.

This book studies solutions of the Polubarinova–Galin and Löwner–Kufarev equations, which describe the evolution of a viscous fluid (Hele-Shaw) blob, after the time when these solutions have lost their physical meaning due to loss of univalence of the mapping function involved. When the mapping function is no longer locally univalent interesting phase transitions take place, leading to structural changes in the data of the solution, for example new zeros and poles in the case of rational maps. This topic intersects with several areas, including mathematical physics, potential theory and complex analysis. The text will be valuable to researchers and doctoral students interested in fluid dynamics, integrable systems, and conformal field theory.

The authors prove some refined asymptotic estimates for positive blow-up solutions to $\Delta u+\epsilon u=n(n-2)u^{\frac{n+2}{n-2}}$ on $\Omega$, $\partial_\nu u=0$ on $\partial\Omega$, $\Omega$ being a smooth bounded domain of $\mathbb{R}^n$, $n\geq 3$. In particular, they show that concentration can occur only on boundary points with nonpositive mean curvature when $n=3$ or $n\geq 7$. As a direct consequence, they prove the validity of the Lin-Ni's conjecture in dimension $n=3$ and $n\geq 7$ for mean convex domains and with bounded energy. Recent examples by Wang-Wei-Yan show that the bound on the energy is a necessary condition.

The author gives a complete topological classification for germs of one-parameter families of one-dimensional complex analytic diffeomorphisms without small divisors. In the non-trivial cases the topological invariants are given by some functions attached to the fixed points set plus the analytic class of the element of the family corresponding to the special parameter. The proof is based on the structure of the limits of orbits when we approach the special parameter.

This book contains a collection of survey articles of exciting new developments in geometry, written in tribute to Simon Donaldson to celebrate his 60th birthday. Reflecting the wide range of Donaldson's interests and influence, the papers range from algebraic geometry and topology through symplectic geometry and geometric analysis to mathematical physics. Their expository nature means the book acts as an invitation to the various topics described, while also giving a sense of the links between these different areas and the unity of modern geometry.

The authors give a characterization of the internally $4$-connected binary matroids that have no minor isomorphic to $M(K_{3,3})$. Any such matroid is either cographic, or is isomorphic to a particular single-element extension of the bond matroid of a cubic or quartic Mobius ladder, or is isomorphic to one of eighteen sporadic matroids.