Bridging the gap between elementary courses and the research literature in this field, the book covers the basic concepts necessary to study differential equations. Stability theory is developed, starting with linearisation methods going back to Lyapunov and Poincaré, before moving on to the global direct method. The Poincaré-Lindstedt method is introduced to approximate periodic solutions, while at the same time proving existence by the implicit function theorem. The final part covers relaxation oscillations, bifurcation theory, centre manifolds, chaos in mappings and differential equations, and Hamiltonian systems. The subject material is presented from both the qualitative and the quantitative point of view, with many examples to illustrate the theory, enabling the reader to begin research after studying this book.

Limit cycles or, more general, periodic solutions of nonlinear dynamical systems occur in many different fields of application. Although, there is extensive literature on periodic solutions, in particular on existence theorems, the connection to physical and technical applications needs to be improved. The bifurcation behavior of periodic solutions by means of parameter variations plays an important role in transition to chaos, so numerical algorithms are necessary to compute periodic solutions and investigate their stability on a numerical basis. From the technical point of view, dynamical systems with discontinuities are of special interest. The discontinuities may occur with respect to the variables describing the configuration space manifold or/and with respect to the variables of the vector-field of the dynamical system. The multiple shooting method is employed in computing limit cycles numerically, and is modified for systems with discontinuities. The theory is supported by numerous examples, mainly from the field of nonlinear vibrations. The text addresses mathematicians interested in engineering problems as well as engineers working with nonlinear dynamics.

In this book we have developed the asymptotic analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems. We have collected a large number of results, scattered throughout the literature and presented them in a way to illustrate both the underlying common theme, as well as the diversity of problems and solutions. While most of the results are known in the literature, we added new material which we hope will also be of interest to the specialists in this field. The basic theory is discussed in chapters two and three. Improved results are obtained in chapter four in the case of stable limit sets. In chapter five we treat averaging over several angles; here the theory is less standardized, and even in our simplified approach we encounter many open problems. Chapter six deals with the definition of normal form. After making the somewhat philosophical point as to what the right definition should look like, we derive the second order normal form in the Hamiltonian case, using the classical method of generating functions. In chapter seven we treat Hamiltonian systems. The resonances in two degrees of freedom are almost completely analyzed, while we give a survey of results obtained for three degrees of freedom systems. The appendices contain a mix of elementary results, expansions on the theory and research problems.

Although the mathematical theory of nonlinear waves and solitons has made great progress, its applications to concrete physical problems are rather poor, especially when compared with the classical theory of linear dispersive waves and nonlinear fluid motion. The Whitham method, which describes the combining action of the dispersive and nonlinear effects as modulations of periodic waves, is not widely used by applied mathematicians and physicists, though it provides a direct and natural way to treat various problems in nonlinear wave theory. Therefore it is topical to describe recent developments of the Whitham theory in a clear and simple form suitable for applications in various branches of physics.This book develops the techniques of the theory of nonlinear periodic waves at elementary level and in great pedagogical detail. It provides an introduction to a Whitham's theory of modulation in a form suitable for applications. The exposition is based on a thorough analysis of representative examples taken from fluid mechanics, nonlinear optics and plasma physics rather than on the formulation and study of a mathematical theory. Much attention is paid to physical motivations of the mathematical methods developed in the book. The main applications considered include the theory of collisionless shock waves in dispersive systems and the nonlinear theory of soliton formation in modulationally unstable systems. Exercises are provided to amplify the discussion of important topics such as singular perturbation theory, Riemann invariants, the finite gap integration method, and Whitham equations and their solutions.

A unified and coherent treatment of analytical, computational and experimental techniques of nonlinear dynamics with numerous illustrative applications. Features a discourse on geometric concepts such as Poincaré maps. Discusses chaos, stability and bifurcation analysis for systems of differential and algebraic equations. Includes scores of examples to facilitate understanding.

This book introduces the method of lower and upper solutions for ordinary differential equations. This method is known to be both easy and powerful to solve second order boundary value problems. Besides an extensive introduction to the method, the first half of the book describes some recent and more involved results on this subject. These concern the combined use of the method with degree theory, with variational methods and positive operators. The second half of the book concerns applications. This part exemplifies the method and provides the reader with a fairly large introduction to the problematic of boundary value problems. Although the book concerns mainly ordinary differential equations, some attention is given to other settings such as partial differential equations or functional differential equations. A detailed history of the problem is described in the introduction.· Presents the fundamental features of the method· Construction of lower and upper solutions in problems· Working applications and illustrated theorems by examples· Description of the history of the method and Bibliographical notes