The 16th Problem of Hilbert is one of the most famous remaining unsolved problems of mathematics. It concerns whether a polynomial vector field on the plane has a finite number of limit cycles. There is a strong connection with divergent solutions of differential equations, where a central role is played by the Stokes Phenomenon, the change in asymptotic behaviour of the solutions in different sectors of the complex plane.The contributions to these proceedings survey both of these themes, including historical and modern theoretical points of view. Topics covered include the Riemann-Hilbert problem, Painleve equations, nonlinear Stokes phenomena, and the inverse Galois problem.

This volume is the record of a workshop on differential equations and the Stokes phenomenon, held in May 2001 at the University of Groningen. It contains expanded versions of most of the lectures given at the workshop. To a large extent, both the workshop and the book may be regarded as a sequel to a conference held in Groningen in 1995 which resulted in the book The Stokes Phenomenon and Hilbert's 16th Problem (B L J Braaksma, G K Immink and M van der Put, editors), also published by World Scientific (1996).Both books offer a snapshot concerning the state of the art in the areas of differential, difference and q-difference equations. Apart from the asymptotics of solutions, Painlevé properties and the algebraic theory, new topics addressed in the second book include arithmetic theory of linear equations, and Galois theory and Lie symmetries of nonlinear differential equations.

This volume contains nine refereed research papers in various areas from combinatorics to dynamical systems, with computer algebra as an underlying and unifying theme. Topics covered include irregular connections, rank reduction and summability of solutions of differential systems, asymptotic behaviour of divergent series, integrability of Hamiltonian systems, multiple zeta values, quasi-polynomial formalism, Padé approximants related to analytic integrability, hybrid systems. The interactions between computer algebra, dynamical systems and combinatorics discussed in this volume should be useful for both mathematicians and theoretical physicists who are interested in effective computation.

From the reviews: "This is a great book, which will hopefully become a classic in the subject of differential Galois theory. [...] the specialist, as well as the novice, have long been missing an introductory book covering also specific and advanced research topics. This gap is filled by the volume under review, and more than satisfactorily." Mathematical Reviews

The theory of analyzable functions is a technique used to study a wide class of asymptotic expansion methods and their applications in analysis, difference and differential equations, partial differential equations and other areas of mathematics. Key ideas in the theory of analyzable functions were laid out by Euler, Cauchy, Stokes, Hardy, E. Borel, and others. Then in the early 1980s, this theory took a great leap forward with the work of J. Ecalle. Similar techniques and conceptsin analysis, logic, applied mathematics and surreal number theory emerged at essentially the same time and developed rapidly through the 1990s. The links among various approaches soon became apparent and this body of ideas is now recognized as a field of its own with numerous applications. Thisvolume stemmed from the International Workshop on Analyzable Functions and Applications held in Edinburgh (Scotland). The contributed articles, written by many leading experts, are suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in asymptotic methods.

Simple Ordinary Differential Equations may have solutions in terms of power series whose coefficients grow at such a rate that the series has a radius of convergence equal to zero. In fact, every linear meromorphic system has a formal solution of a certain form, which can be relatively easily computed, but which generally involves such power series diverging everywhere. In this book the author presents the classical theory of meromorphic systems of ODE in the new light shed upon it by the recent achievements in the theory of summability of formal power series.