Introduction to Dynamical Systems and Geometric Mechanics provides a comprehensive tour of two fields that are intimately entwined: dynamical systems is the study of the behavior of physical systems that may be described by a set of nonlinear first-order ordinary differential equations in Euclidean space, whereas geometric mechanics explore similar systems that instead evolve on differentiable manifolds. The first part discusses the linearization and stability of trajectories and fixed points, invariant manifold theory, periodic orbits, Poincaré maps, Floquet theory, the Poincaré-Bendixson theorem, bifurcations, and chaos. The second part of the book begins with a self-contained chapter on differential geometry that introduces notions of manifolds, mappings, vector fields, the Jacobi-Lie bracket, and differential forms.

The area of analysis and control of mechanical systems using differential geometry is flourishing. This book collects many results over the last decade and provides a comprehensive introduction to the area.

"This is an introductory textbook on the geometrical theory of dynamical systems, fluid flows and certain integrable systems. The topics are interdisciplinary and extend from mathematics, mechanics and physics to mechanical engineering, and the approach is very fundamental. The main theme of this book is a unified formulation to understand dynamical evolutions of physical systems within mathematical ideas of Riemannian geometry and Lie groups by using well-known examples. Underlying mathematical concepts include transformation invariance, covariant derivative, geodesic equation and curvature tensors on the basis of differential geometry, theory of Lie groups and integrability. These mathematical theories are applied to physical systems such as free rotation of a top, surface wave of shallow water, action principle in mechanics, diffeomorphic flow of fluids, vortex motions and some integrable systems. In the latest edition, a new formulation of fluid flows is also presented in a unified fashion on the basis of the gauge principle of theoretical physics and principle of least action along with new type of Lagrangians. A great deal of effort has been directed toward making the description elementary, clear and concise, to provide beginners easy access to the topics."-

Introduction to Dynamical Systems and Geometric Mechanics provides a comprehensive tour of two fields that are intimately entwined: dynamical systems is the study of the behavior of physical systems that may be described by a set of nonlinear first-order ordinary differential equations in Euclidean space, whereas geometric mechanics explore similar systems that instead evolve on differentiable manifolds. The first part discusses the linearization and stability of trajectories and fixed points, invariant manifold theory, periodic orbits, Poincaré maps, Floquet theory, the Poincaré-Bendixson theorem, bifurcations, and chaos. The second part of the book begins with a self-contained chapter on differential geometry that introduces notions of manifolds, mappings, vector fields, the Jacobi-Lie bracket, and differential forms.

This book illustrates the broad range of Jerry Marsden’s mathematical legacy in areas of geometry, mechanics, and dynamics, from very pure mathematics to very applied, but always with a geometric perspective. Each contribution develops its material from the viewpoint of geometric mechanics beginning at the very foundations, introducing readers to modern issues via illustrations in a wide range of topics. The twenty refereed papers contained in this volume are based on lectures and research performed during the month of July 2012 at the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, in a program in honor of Marsden's legacy. The unified treatment of the wide breadth of topics treated in this book will be of interest to both experts and novices in geometric mechanics. Experts will recognize applications of their own familiar concepts and methods in a wide variety of fields, some of which they may never have approached from a geometric viewpoint. Novices may choose topics that interest them among the various fields and learn about geometric approaches and perspectives toward those topics that will be new for them as well.

The aim of the book is to treat all three basic theories of physics, namely, classical mechanics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics from the same perspective, that of symplectic geometry, thus showing the unifying power of the symplectic geometric approach. Reading this book will give the reader a deep understanding of the interrelationships between the three basic theories of physics. This book is addressed to graduate students and researchers in mathematics and physics who are interested in mathematical and theoretical physics, symplectic geometry, mechanics, and (geometric) quantization.

A graduate level text based partly on lectures in geometry, mechanics, and symmetry given at Imperial College London, this book links traditional classical mechanics texts and advanced modern mathematical treatments of the subject.