The book is a compilation of selected papers from the conference on Physics and Control 2009, presenting a unified perspective underlying the thematics and strategies related to the control of physical systems with emerging applications in physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and other natural sciences. The selected papers reflect the state-of-the-art of the more advanced theoretical and practical studies in the field of control of complex systems. The contributions provide a comprehensive view on some selected topics of particular importance at the disciplinary borderline between Physics and Control.

The papers in this edited volume aim to provide a better understanding of the dynamics and control of a large class of hybrid dynamical systems that are described by different models in different state space domains. They not only cover important aspects and tools for hybrid systems analysis and control, but also a number of experimental realizations. Special attention is given to synchronization - a universal phenomenon in nonlinear science that gained tremendous significance since its discovery by Huygens in the 17th century. Possible applications of the results introduced in the book include control of mobile robots, control of CD/DVD players, flexible manufacturing lines, and complex networks of interacting agents.The book is based on the material presented at a similarly entitled minisymposium at the 6th European Nonlinear Dynamics Conference held in St Petersburg in 2008. It is unique in that it contains results of several international and interdisciplinary collaborations in the field, and reflects state-of-the-art technological development in the area of hybrid mechanical systems at the forefront of the 21st century.