This and the next volume of the OT series contain the proceedings of the Work shop on Operator Theory and its Applications, IWOTA 95, which was held at the University of Regensburg, Germany, July 31 to August 4, 1995. It was the eigth workshop of this kind. Following is a list of the seven previous workshops with reference to their proceedings: 1981 Operator Theory (Santa Monica, California, USA) 1983 Applications of Linear Operator Theory to Systems and Networks (Rehovot, Israel), OT 12 1985 Operator Theory and its Applications (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), OT 19 1987 Operator Theory and Functional Analysis (Mesa, Arizona, USA), OT 35 1989 Matrix and Operator Theory (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), OT 50 1991 Operator Theory and Complex Analysis (Sapporo, Japan), OT 59 1993 Operator Theory and Boundary Eigenvalue Problems (Vienna, Austria), OT 80 IWOTA 95 offered a rich programme on a wide range of latest developments in operator theory and its applications. The programme consisted of 6 invited plenary lectures, 54 invited special topic lectures and more than 100 invited session talks. About 180 participants from 25 countries attended the workshop, more than a third came from Eastern Europe. The conference covered different aspects of linear and nonlinear spectral prob lems, starting with problems for abstract operators up to spectral theory of ordi nary and partial differential operators, pseudodifferential operators, and integral operators. The workshop was also focussed on operator theory in spaces with indefinite metric, operator functions, interpolation and extension problems."

This volume is dedicated to Heinz Langer, a leading expert in spectral analysis and its applications, in particular to operators in spaces with an indefinite metric, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
The book begins with his biography and list of publications. It contains a selection of research papers, most of which are devoted to spectral analysis of operators or operator pencils with applications to ordinary and partial differential equations. Other papers deal with time-varying systems, interpolation and factorization problems, and topics from mathematical physics. About half of the papers contain further developments in the theory of operators in spaces with an indefinite metric and treat new applications. The book is of interest to a wide audience of pure and applied mathematicians.

This volume brings readers up to date on different aspects of operator theory and its applications, including mathematical physics, hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, quantum mechanics, astrophysics as well as the theory of networks and systems. Of practical use to a wide readership in pure and applied mathematics, physics and engineering sciences.

This and the next volume of the OT series contain the proceedings of the Work shop on Operator Theory and its Applications, IWOTA 95, which was held at the University of Regensburg, Germany, July 31 to August 4, 1995. It was the eigth workshop of this kind. Following is a list of the seven previous workshops with reference to their proceedings: 1981 Operator Theory (Santa Monica, California, USA) 1983 Applications of Linear Operator Theory to Systems and Networks (Rehovot, Israel), OT 12 1985 Operator Theory and its Applications (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), OT 19 1987 Operator Theory and Functional Analysis (Mesa, Arizona, USA), OT 35 1989 Matrix and Operator Theory (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), OT 50 1991 Operator Theory and Complex Analysis (Sapporo, Japan), OT 59 1993 Operator Theory and Boundary Eigenvalue Problems (Vienna, Austria), OT 80 IWOTA 95 offered a rich programme on a wide range of latest developments in operator theory and its applications. The programme consisted of 6 invited plenary lectures, 54 invited special topic lectures and more than 100 invited session talks. About 180 participants from 25 countries attended the workshop, more than a third came from Eastern Europe. The conference covered different aspects of linear and nonlinear spectral prob lems, starting with problems for abstract operators up to spectral theory of ordi nary and partial differential operators, pseudodifferential operators, and integral operators. The workshop was also focussed on operator theory in spaces with indefinite metric, operator functions, interpolation and extension problems.

This and the previous volume of the OT series contain the proceedings of the Workshop on Operator Theory and its Applications, IWOTA 95, which was held at the University of Regensburg, Germany, July 31 to August 4, 1995. It was the eigth workshop of this kind. Following is a list of the seven previous workshops with reference to their proceedings: 1981 Operator Theory (Santa Monica, California, USA) 1983 Applications of Linear Operator Theory to Systems and Networks (Rehovot, Israel), OT 12 1985 Operator Theory and its Applications (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), OT 19 1987 Operator Theory and Functional Analysis (Mesa, Arizona, USA), OT 35 1989 Matrix and Operator Theory (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), OT 50 1991 Operator Theory and Complex Analysis (Sapporo, Japan), OT 59 1993 Operator Theory and Boundary Eigenvalue Problems (Vienna, Austria), OT 80 IWOTA 95 offered a rich programme on a wide range of latest developments in operator theory and its applications. The programme consisted of 6 invited plenary lectures, 54 invited special topic lectures and more than 100 invited session talks. About 180 participants from 25 countries attended the workshop, more than a third came from Eastern Europe. The conference covered different aspects of linear and nonlinear spectral prob lems, starting with problems for abstract operators up to spectral theory of ordi nary and partial differential operators, pseudodifferential operators, and integral operators. The workshop was also focussed on operator theory in spaces with indefinite metric, operator functions, interpolation and extension problems."

Heinz Langer and his work.- On the spectra of some class of quadratic operator pencils.- Special realizations for Schur upper triangular operators.- On the defect of noncontractive operators in Kre?nin spaces: a new formula and some applications.- Positive differential operators in the Krein space L2(M?n).- Singular values of positive pencils and applications.- Perturbations of Krein spaces preserving the nonsingularity of the critical point infinity.- An analysis of the block structure of jqq-inner functions.- Selfadjoint extensions of the orthogonal sum of symmetric relations, II.- Some interpolation problems of Nevanlinna-Pick type. The Krein-Langer method.- On the spectral representation for singular selfadjoint boundary eigenvalue problems.- Some characteristics of a linear manifold in a Kre?nn space and their applications.- Riggings and relatively form bounded perturbations of nonnegative operators in Krem spaces.- Norm bounds for Volterra integral operators and time-varying linear systems with finite horizon.- The numerical range of selfadjoint matrix polynomials.- Spectral properties of a matrix polynomial connected with a component of its numerical range.- Lyapunov stability of a multiplication operator perturbed by a Volterra operator.- Multiplicative perturbations of positive operators in Krein spaces.- On the number of negative squares of certain functions.- Factorization of elliptic pencils and the Mandelstam hypothesis.- An inductive limit procedure within the quantum harmonic oscillator.- Canonical systems with a semibounded spectrum.