First Published in 1992. This book arose as a result of the authors work on the review 'Solitary Vortices in Plasmas' written for the Soviet Journal of Plasma Physics. With the development of nonlinear wave theory some novel concepts came into use, such as solitary waves, solitary vortices, and solitons. There is still some inconsistency in the use of these terms. The study of solitary waves (solitons) should ultimately lead to a better understanding of the internal structure of elementary particles. That is why solitons are attracting great attention from physicists and mathematicians. The material presented in this book shows that solitons are also of interest in plasma physics and geophysics, where these concepts have many important applications.

Solitary wave theory is a rapidly developing discipline of significance in many fields of science, from ocean dynamics to plasma physics. Solitary Waves in Plasmas and in the Atmosphere offers a unified exposition of both the principles and recent advances of this fundamental theory. The authors introduce the theory of highly nonlinear phenomena in plasmas and in the atmosphere, and then study the development of these phenomena under the influence of various characteristics of the surrounding media. A great deal of attention is devoted to recent progress in stability studies using the Lyapunov method. By presenting the theory in terms of ordinary mathematics at the level of rigor customary in the physical literature, Petviashvili and Pokhotelov have written a book that is accessible to both graduates and research workers in atmospheric and ocean dynamics, mathematical and plasma physics.