This thesis describes the first demonstration of a cooperative optical non-linearity based on Rydberg excitation. Whereas in conventional non-linear optics the non-linearity arises directly from the interaction between light and matter, in a cooperative process it is mediated by dipole-dipole interactions between light-induced excitations. For excitation to high Rydberg states where the electron is only weakly bound, the dipole-dipole interactions are extremely large and long range, enabling an enormous enhancement of the non-linear effect. Consequently, cooperative non-linear optics using Rydberg excitations opens a new era for quantum optics enabling large single photon non-linearity to be accessible in free space for the first time. The thesis describes the theoretical underpinnings of the non- linear effect, the pioneering experimental results and implications for experiments in the single photon regime.

"Topics in Nonlinear Dynamics, Volume 3, Proceedings of the 30th IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Structural Dynamics, 2012, "the third volume of six from the Conference, brings together 26 contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Structural Dynamics, including papers on:
Application of Nonlinearities: Aerospace Structures
Nonlinear Dynamics Effects Under Shock Loading
Application of Nonlinearities: Vibration Reduction
Nonlinear Dynamics: Testing
Nonlinear Dynamics: Simulation
Nonlinear Dynamics: Identification
Nonlinear Dynamics: Localization"

Dynamical system theory has developed rapidly over the past fifty years. It is a subject upon which the theory of limit cycles has a significant impact for both theoretical advances and practical solutions to problems. Hopf bifurcation from a center or a focus is integral to the theory of bifurcation of limit cycles, for which normal form theory is a central tool. Although Hopf bifurcation has been studied for more than half a century, and normal form theory for over 100 years, efficient computation in this area is still a challenge with implications for Hilbert's 16th problem.

This book introduces the most recent developments in this field and provides major advances in fundamental theory of limit cycles. Split into two parts, the first focuses on the study of limit cycles bifurcating from Hopf singularity using normal form theory with later application to Hilbert's 16th problem, while the second considers near Hamiltonian systems using Melnikov function as the main mathematical tool.

Classic topics with new results are presented in a clear and concise manner and are accompanied by the liberal use of illustrations throughout. Containing a wealth of examples and structured algorithms that are treated in detail, a good balance between theoretical and applied topics is demonstrated. By including complete Maple programs within the text, this book also enables the reader to reconstruct the majority of formulas provided, facilitating the use of concrete models for study.

Through the adoption of an elementary and practical approach, this book will be of use to graduate mathematics students wishing to study the theory of limit cycles as well as scientists, across a number of disciplines, with an interest in the applications of periodic behavior."

The aim of this work is to bridge the gap between the well-known Newtonian mechanics and the studies on chaos, ordinarily reserved to experts. Several topics are treated: Lagrangian, Hamiltonian and Jacobi formalisms, studies of integrable and quasi-integrable systems. The chapter devoted to chaos also enables a simple presentation of the KAM theorem. All the important notions are recalled in summaries of the lectures. They are illustrated by many original problems, stemming from real-life situations, the solutions of which are worked out in great detail for the benefit of the reader. This book will be of interest to undergraduate students as well as others whose work involves mechanics, physics and engineering in general.

The papers in this volume present an overview of the general aspects and practical applications of dynamic inverse methods, through the interaction of several topics, ranging from classical and advanced inverse problems in vibration, isospectral systems, dynamic methods for structural identification, active vibration control and damage detection, imaging shear stiffness in biological tissues, wave propagation, to computational and experimental aspects relevant for engineering problems.

These notes introduce a new class of algebraic curves on Hilbert modular surfaces. These curves are called twisted Teichmuller curves, because their construction is very reminiscent of Hirzebruch-Zagier cycles. These new objects are analyzed in detail and their main properties are described. In particular, the volume of twisted Teichmuller curves is calculated and their components are partially classified. The study of algebraic curves on Hilbert modular surfaces has been widely covered in the literature due to their arithmetic importance. Among these, twisted diagonals (Hirzebruch-Zagier cycles) are some of the most important examples.

This book presents and extend different known methods to solve different types of strong nonlinearities encountered by engineering systems. A better knowledge of the classical methods presented in the first part lead to a better choice of the so-called base functions . These are absolutely necessary to obtain the auxiliary functions involved in the optimal approaches which are presented in the second part.
Every chapter introduces a distinct approximate method applicable to nonlinear dynamical systems. Each approximate analytical approach is accompanied by representative examples related to nonlinear dynamical systems from to various fields of engineering."

Inverse limits provide a powerful tool for constructing complicated spaces from simple ones. Theyalso turn the study of a dynamical system consisting of a space and a self-map into a study of a (likely more complicated) space and a self-homeomorphism. In four chapters along with an appendix containing background material the authors develop the theory of inverse limits. The bookbegins with an introduction through inverse limits on 0,1] before moving to a general treatment of the subject. Special topics in continuum theory complete thebook. Although it is not a book on dynamics, the influence of dynamics can be seen throughout; for instance, it includes studies of inverse limits with maps from families of maps that are of interest to dynamicists such as the logistic and the tent families.

This book will serve as a useful reference to graduate students and researchers in continuum theory and dynamical systems. Researchers working in applied areas who are discovering inverse limits in their work will also benefit from this book. "

This book is an introduction to nonlinear programming. It deals with the theoretical foundations and solution methods, beginning with the classical procedures and reaching up to "modern" methods like trust region methods or procedures for nonlinear and global optimization. A comprehensive bibliography including diverse web sites with information about nonlinear programming, in particular software, is presented. Without sacrificing the necessary mathematical rigor, excessive formalisms are avoided. Several examples, exercises with detailed solutions, and applications are provided, making the text adequate for individual studies. The book is written for students from the fields of applied mathematics, engineering, economy, and computation.

The idea of modeling the behaviour of phenomena at multiple scales has become a useful tool in both pure and applied mathematics. Fractal-based techniques lie at the heart of this area, as fractals are inherently multiscale objects; they very often describe nonlinear phenomena better than traditional mathematical models. In many cases they have been used for solving inverse problems arising in models described by systems of differential equations and dynamical systems. "Fractal-Based Methods in Analysis" draws together, for the first time in book form, methods and results from almost twenty years of research in this topic, including new viewpoints and results in many of the chapters. For each topic the theoretical framework is carefully explained using examples and applications. The second chapter on basic iterated function systems theory is designed to be used as the basis for a course and includes many exercises. This chapter, along with the three background appendices on topological and metric spaces, measure theory, and basic results from set-valued analysis, make the book suitable for self-study or as a source book for a graduate course. The other chapters illustrate many extensions and applications of fractal-based methods to different areas. This book is intended for graduate students and researchers in applied mathematics, engineering and social sciences. Herb Kunze is a professor of mathematics at the University of Guelph in Ontario. Davide La Torre is an associate professor of mathematics in the Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods of the University of Milan. Franklin Mendivil is a professor of mathematics at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. Edward Vrscay is a professor in the department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. The major focus of their research is on fractals and the applications of fractals.

This volume is an introduction to nonlinear waves and soliton theory in the special environment of compact spaces such a closed curves and surfaces and other domain contours. It assumes familiarity with basic soliton theory and nonlinear dynamical systems. The first part of the book introduces the mathematical concept required for treating the manifolds considered, providing relevant notions from topology and differential geometry. An introduction to the theory of motion of curves and surfaces - as part of the emerging field of contour dynamics - is given. The second and third parts discuss the modeling of various physical solitons on compact systems, such as filaments, loops and drops made of almost incompressible materials thereby intersecting with a large number of physical disciplines from hydrodynamics to compact object astrophysics. This book is intended for graduate students and researchers in mathematics, physics and engineering. This new edition has been thoroughly revised, expanded and updated.

This book reports on important nonlinear aspects or deterministic chaos issues in the systems of multi-phase reactors. The reactors treated in the book include gas-liquid bubble columns, gas-liquid-solid fluidized beds and gas-liquid-solid magnetized fluidized beds. The authors take pressure fluctuations in the bubble columnsas time series for nonlinear analysis, modeling and forecasting. They present qualitative and quantitative non-linear analysis tools which include attractor phase plane plot, correlation dimension, Kolmogorov entropy and largest Lyapunov exponent calculations and local non-linear short-term prediction."

Nonautonomous dynamics describes the qualitative behavior of evolutionary differential and difference equations, whose right-hand side is explicitly time dependent. Over recent years, the theory of such systems has developed into a highly active field related to, yet recognizably distinct from that of classical autonomous dynamical systems. This development was motivated by problems of applied mathematics, in particular in the life sciences where genuinely nonautonomous systems abound. The purpose of this monograph is to indicate through selected, representative examples how often nonautonomous systems occur in the life sciences and to outline the new concepts and tools from the theory of nonautonomous dynamical systems that are now available for their investigation.

In the past three decades, bifurcation theory has matured into a well-established and vibrant branch of mathematics. This book gives a unified presentation in an abstract setting of the main theorems in bifurcation theory, as well as more recent and lesser known results. It covers both the local and global theory of one-parameter bifurcations for operators acting in infinite-dimensional Banach spaces, and shows how to apply the theory to problems involving partial differential equations. In addition to existence, qualitative properties such as stability and nodal structure of bifurcating solutions are treated in depth. This volume will serve as an important reference for mathematicians, physicists, and theoretically-inclined engineers working in bifurcation theory and its applications to partial differential equations. The second edition is substantially and formally revised and new material is added. Among this is bifurcation with a two-dimensional kernel with applications, the buckling of the Euler rod, the appearance of Taylor vortices, the singular limit process of the Cahn-Hilliard model, and an application of this method to more complicated nonconvex variational problems.

Lagrangian systems constitute a very important and old class in dynamics. Their origin dates back to the end of the eighteenth century, with Joseph-Louis Lagrange s reformulation of classical mechanics. The main feature of Lagrangian dynamics is its variational flavor: orbits are extremal points of an action functional. The development of critical point theory in the twentieth century provided a powerful machinery to investigate existence and multiplicity questions for orbits of Lagrangian systems. This monograph gives a modern account of the application of critical point theory, and more specifically Morse theory, to Lagrangian dynamics, with particular emphasis toward existence and multiplicity of periodic orbits of non-autonomous and time-periodic systems."

In a coherent, exhaustive and progressive way, this book presents the tools for studying local bifurcations of limit cycles in families of planar vector fields. A systematic introduction is given to such methods as division of an analytic family of functions in its ideal of coefficients, and asymptotic expansion of non-differentiable return maps and desingularisation. The exposition moves from classical analytic geometric methods applied to regular limit periodic sets to more recent tools for singular limit sets.

The methods can be applied to theoretical problems such as Hilbert's 16th problem, but also for the purpose of establishing bifurcation diagrams of specific families as well as explicit computations.

- - -

"The book as a whole is awell-balanced exposition that can be recommended to all those who want to gain a thorough understanding and proficiency in therecently developed methods. The book, reflecting the currentstate of the art, can also be used for teaching special courses."
(Mathematical Reviews)"

This book considers a problem of block-oriented nonlinear dynamic system identification in the presence of random disturbances. This class of systems includes various interconnections of linear dynamic blocks and static nonlinear elements, e.g., Hammerstein system, Wiener system, Wiener-Hammerstein ("sandwich") system and additive NARMAX systems with feedback. Interconnecting signals are not accessible for measurement. The combined parametric-nonparametric algorithms, proposed in the book, can be selected dependently on the prior knowledge of the system and signals. Most of them are based on the decomposition of the complex system identification task into simpler local sub-problems by using non-parametric (kernel or orthogonal) regression estimation. In the parametric stage, the generalized least squares or the instrumental variables technique is commonly applied to cope with correlated excitations. Limit properties of the algorithms have been shown analytically and illustrated in simple experiments.

This self-contained monograph presents a unified exposition of the thermodynamic formalism and some of its main extensions, with emphasis on the relation to dimension theory and multifractal analysis of dynamical systems. In particular, the book considers three different flavors of the thermodynamic formalism, namely nonadditive, subadditive, and almost additive, and provides a detailed discussion of some of the most significant results in the area, some of them quite recent. It also includes a discussion of the most substantial applications of these flavors of the thermodynamic formalism to dimension theory and multifractal analysis of dynamical systems.

A renowned mathematician who considers himself both applied and theoretical in his approach, Peter Lax has spent most of his professional career at NYU, making significant contributions to both mathematics and computing. He has written several important published works and has received numerous honors including the National Medal of Science, the Lester R. Ford Award, the Chauvenet Prize, the Semmelweis Medal, the Wiener Prize, and the Wolf Prize. Several students he has mentored have become leaders in their fields.

Two volumes span the years from 1952 up until 1999, and cover many varying topics, from functional analysis, partial differential equations, and numerical methods to conservation laws, integrable systems andscattering theory.After each paper, or collection of papers, is a commentary placing the paper in context and where relevant discussing more recent developments.Many of the papers in these volumes have become classics and should be read by any serious student of these topics.In terms of insight, depth, and breadth, Lax has few equals.The reader of this selecta will quickly appreciate his brilliance as well as his masterful touch.Having this collection of papers in one place allows one to follow the evolution of his ideas and mathematical interests and to appreciate how many of these papers initiated topics that developed lives of their own."

In this book the authors take a rigorous look at the infinite-horizon discrete-time optimal control theory from the viewpoint of Pontryagin's principles. Several Pontryagin principles are described which govern systems and various criteria which define the notions of optimality, along with a detailed analysis of how each Pontryagin principle relate to each other. The Pontryagin principle is examined in a stochastic setting and results are given which generalize Pontryagin's principles to multi-criteria problems. Infinite-Horizon Optimal Control in the Discrete-Time Framework is aimed toward researchers and PhD students in various scientific fields such as mathematics, applied mathematics, economics, management, sustainable development (such as, of fisheries and of forests), and Bio-medical sciences who are drawn to infinite-horizon discrete-time optimal control problems.

The emphasis throughout the present volume is on the practical application of theoretical mathematical models helping to unravel the underlying mechanisms involved in processes from mathematical physics and biosciences. It has been conceived as a unique collection of abstract methods dealing especially with nonlinear partial differential equations (either stationary or evolutionary) that are applied to understand concrete processes involving some important applications related to phenomena such as: boundary layer phenomena for viscous fluids, population dynamics,, dead core phenomena, etc. It addresses researchers and post-graduate students working at the interplay between mathematics and other fields of science and technology and is a comprehensive introduction to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations and its main principles also presents their real-life applications in various contexts: mathematical physics, chemistry, mathematical biology, and population genetics. Based on the authors' original work, this volume provides an overview of the field, with examples suitable for researchers but also for graduate students entering research. The method of presentation appeals to readers with diverse backgrounds in partial differential equations and functional analysis. Each chapter includes detailed heuristic arguments, providing thorough motivation for the material developed later in the text. The content demonstrates in a firm way that partial differential equations can be used to address a large variety of phenomena occurring in and influencing our daily lives. The extensive reference list and index make this book a valuable resource for researchers working in a variety of fields and who are interested in phenomena modeled by nonlinear partial differential equations.

A renowned mathematician who considers himself both applied and theoretical in his approach, Peter Lax has spent most of his professional career at NYU, making significant contributions to both mathematics and computing. He has written several important published works and has received numerous honors including the National Medal of Science, the Lester R. Ford Award, the Chauvenet Prize, the Semmelweis Medal, the Wiener Prize, and the Wolf Prize. Several students he has mentored have become leaders in their fields.

Two volumes span the years from 1952 up until 1999, and cover many varying topics, from functional analysis, partial differential equations, and numerical methods to conservation laws, integrable systems and scattering theory. After each paper, or collection of papers, is a commentary placing the paper in context and where relevant discussing more recent developments. Many of the papers in these volumes have become classics and should be read by any serious student of these topics. In terms of insight, depth, and breadth, Lax has few equals. The reader of this selecta will quickly appreciate his brilliance as well as his masterful touch. Having this collection of papers in one place allows one to follow the evolution of his ideas and mathematical interests and to appreciate how many of these papers initiated topics that developed lives of their own.

This 4-volume compendium contains the verbatim hard copies of all color slides from the Chua Lecture Series presented at HP in Palo Alto, during the period from September 22 to November 24, 2015. Each lecture consists of 90 minutes, divided into a formal lecture, a discussion session, and an Encore of special trivia that the audience found mesmerizing.These lectures share some unique features of the classic Feynman Lectures on Physics, as much of the materials are presented in the unique style of the author, and the content is original as discovered or invented by the author himself. Unlike most technical books that suffer a notoriously short life span as their features could be superseded by superior models, this series of Chua lectures are intended to never be obsolete - many concepts and principles introduced are in fact new laws of nature, written in the language of sophomore-level mathematics, providing the foundation and the elan vital for initiating and nurturing future concepts and inventions.Volume I - covers everything that a researcher may want to know about memristors but is too afraid to ask.Volume II - shows that memristors can be either volatile or non-volatile, and effectively proving that synapses are non-volatile memristors, while action potentials are generated by locally-active memristors.Volume III - presents an overview of the fascinating phenomenon called chaos, while immersing the audience with the sights and sound of chaos from the Chua Circuit, invented in 1984 by Leon Chua, and has now become the standard textbook example of chaos exhibited by a real nonlinear electronic circuit, and not by computer simulations.Volume IV - surprises the audience with a new law of nature - dubbed the local activity principle, as discovered and proved mathematically in 1996 by Leon Chua. In particular, a Corollary of Chua's local activity theorem, dubbed the edge of chaos, is shown via insightful examples to be the originator of most complex phenomena, including intelligence, creativity, and deep learning. The edge of chaos is Mother Nature's tool for overcoming the tyranny of the second law of thermodynamics by providing an escape hatch for entropy to decrease over time. Indeed, the local activity principle which is profusely illustrated in the final volume, is widely recognized as a new law of thermodynamics, and is identified as the sine qua non of all complex phenomena, including life itself.Exclusive Access to the accompanying Video and Audio materials comes with the purchase of this book.

This 4-volume compendium contains the verbatim hard copies of all color slides from the Chua Lecture Series presented at HP in Palo Alto, during the period from September 22 to November 24, 2015. Each lecture consists of 90 minutes, divided into a formal lecture, a discussion session, and an Encore of special trivia that the audience found mesmerizing.These lectures share some unique features of the classic Feynman Lectures on Physics, as much of the materials are presented in the unique style of the author, and the content is original as discovered or invented by the author himself. Unlike most technical books that suffer a notoriously short life span as their features could be superseded by superior models, this series of Chua lectures are intended to never be obsolete - many concepts and principles introduced are in fact new laws of nature, written in the language of sophomore-level mathematics, providing the foundation and the elan vital for initiating and nurturing future concepts and inventions.Volume I - covers everything that a researcher may want to know about memristors but is too afraid to ask.Volume II - shows that memristors can be either volatile or non-volatile, and effectively proving that synapses are non-volatile memristors, while action potentials are generated by locally-active memristors.Volume III - presents an overview of the fascinating phenomenon called chaos, while immersing the audience with the sights and sound of chaos from the Chua Circuit, invented in 1984 by Leon Chua, and has now become the standard textbook example of chaos exhibited by a real nonlinear electronic circuit, and not by computer simulations.Volume IV - surprises the audience with a new law of nature - dubbed the local activity principle, as discovered and proved mathematically in 1996 by Leon Chua. In particular, a Corollary of Chua's local activity theorem, dubbed the edge of chaos, is shown via insightful examples to be the originator of most complex phenomena, including intelligence, creativity, and deep learning. The edge of chaos is Mother Nature's tool for overcoming the tyranny of the second law of thermodynamics by providing an escape hatch for entropy to decrease over time. Indeed, the local activity principle which is profusely illustrated in the final volume, is widely recognized as a new law of thermodynamics, and is identified as the sine qua non of all complex phenomena, including life itself.Exclusive Access to the accompanying Video and Audio materials comes with the purchase of this book.

This the second volume of five from the 28th IMAC on Structural Dynamics and Renewable Energy, 2010, bringing together 17 chapters on Applications of Non-Linear Dynamics. It presents early findings from experimental and computational investigations on Non-Linear Dynamics including studies on Dynamics of a System of Coupled Oscillators with Geometrically Nonlinear Damping, Assigning the Nonlinear Distortions of a Two-input Single-output System, A Multi-harmonic Approach to Updating Locally Nonlinear Structures, A Block Rocking on a Seesawing Foundation, and Enhanced Order Reduction of Forced Nonlinear Systems Using New Ritz Vectors.