Complex Hamiltonian Dynamics

This book introduces and explores modern developments in the well established field of Hamiltonian dynamical systems. It focuses on high degree-of-freedom systems and the transitional regimes between regular and chaotic motion. The role of nonlinear normal modes is highlighted and the importance of low-dimensional tori in the resolution of the famous FPU paradox is emphasized. Novel powerful numerical methods are used to study localization phenomena and distinguish order from strongly and weakly chaotic regimes. The emerging hierarchy of complex structures in such regimes gives rise to particularly long-lived patterns and phenomena called quasi-stationary states, which are explored in particular in the concrete setting of one-dimensional Hamiltonian lattices and physical applications in condensed matter systems. The self-contained and pedagogical approach is blended with a unique balance between mathematical rigor, physics insights and concrete applications. End of chapter exercises and (more demanding) research oriented problems provide many opportunities to deepen the reader’s insights into specific aspects of the subject matter. Addressing a broad audience of graduate students, theoretical physicists and applied mathematicians, this text combines the benefits of a reference work with those of a self-study guide for newcomers to the field.

This book explores modern developments in Hamiltonian dynamical systems, focusing on high degree-of-freedom systems and the transitional regimes between regular and chaotic motion. Includes end-of-chapter exercises and challenging problems.

This is both a textbook and a monograph. It is partially based on a two-semester course, held by the author for third-year students in physics and mathematics at the University of Salerno, on analytical mechanics, differential geometry, symplectic manifolds and integrable systems. As a textbook, it provides a systematic and self-consistent formulation of Hamiltonian dynamics both in a rigorous coordinate language and in the modern language of differential geometry. It also presents powerful mathematical methods of theoretical physics, especially in gauge theories and general relativity. As a monograph, the book deals with the advanced research topic of completely integrable dynamics, with both finitely and infinitely many degrees of freedom, including geometrical structures of solitonic wave equations. Contents: Analytical Mechanics: The Lagrangian Coordinates; Hamiltonian Systems; Transformation Theory; The Integration Methods; Basic Ideas of Differential Geometry: Manifolds and Tangent Spaces; Differential Forms; Integration Theory; Lie Groups and Lie Algebras; Geometry and Physics: Symplectic Manifolds and Hamiltonian Systems; The Orbits Method; Classical Electrodynamics; Integrable Field Theories: KdV Equation; General Structures; Meaning and Existence of Recursion Operators; Miscellanea; Integrability of Fermionic Dynamics. Readership: Physicists and mathematicians.

Analysis of an old variational principal in classical mechanics has established global periodic phenomena in Hamiltonian systems. One of the links is a class of sympletic invariants, called sympletic capacities, and these invariants are the main theme of this book. Topics covered include basic sympletic geometry, sympletic capacities and rigidity, sympletic fixed point theory, and a survey on Floer homology and sympletic homology.

This third edition text provides expanded material on the restricted three body problem and celestial mechanics. With each chapter containing new content, readers are provided with new material on reduction, orbifolds, and the regularization of the Kepler problem, all of which are provided with applications. The previous editions grew out of graduate level courses in mathematics, engineering, and physics given at several different universities. The courses took students who had some background in differential equations and lead them through a systematic grounding in the theory of Hamiltonian mechanics from a dynamical systems point of view. This text provides a mathematical structure of celestial mechanics ideal for beginners, and will be useful to graduate students and researchers alike. Reviews of the second edition: "The primary subject here is the basic theory of Hamiltonian differential equations studied from the perspective of differential dynamical systems. The N-body problem is used as the primary example of a Hamiltonian system, a touchstone for the theory as the authors develop it. This book is intended to support a first course at the graduate level for mathematics and engineering students. ... It is a well-organized and accessible introduction to the subject ... . This is an attractive book ... ." (William J. Satzer, The Mathematical Association of America, March, 2009) “The second edition of this text infuses new mathematical substance and relevance into an already modern classic ... and is sure to excite future generations of readers. ... This outstanding book can be used not only as an introductory course at the graduate level in mathematics, but also as course material for engineering graduate students. ... it is an elegant and invaluable reference for mathematicians and scientists with an interest in classical and celestial mechanics, astrodynamics, physics, biology, and related fields.” (Marian Gidea, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2010 d)

Classical mechanics is a subject that is teeming with life. However, most of the interesting results are scattered around in the specialist literature, which means that potential readers may be somewhat discouraged by the effort required to obtain them. Addressing this situation, Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems includes some of the most significant papers in Hamiltonian dynamics published during the last 60 years. The book covers bifurcation of periodic orbits, the break-up of invariant tori, chaotic behavior in hyperbolic systems, and the intricacies of real systems that contain coexisting order and chaos. It begins with an introductory survey of the subjects to help readers appreciate the underlying themes that unite an apparently diverse collection of articles. The book concludes with a selection of papers on applications, including in celestial mechanics, plasma physics, chemistry, accelerator physics, fluid mechanics, and solid state mechanics, and contains an extensive bibliography. The book provides a worthy introduction to the subject for anyone with an undergraduate background in physics or mathematics, and an indispensable reference work for researchers and graduate students interested in any aspect of classical mechanics.

Classical dynamics is one of the cornerstones of advanced education in physics and applied mathematics, with applications across engineering, chemistry and biology. In this book, the author uses a concise and pedagogical style to cover all the topics necessary for a graduate-level course in dynamics based on Hamiltonian methods. Readers are introduced to the impressive advances in the field during the second half of the twentieth century, including KAM theory and deterministic chaos. Essential to these developments are some exciting ideas from modern mathematics, which are introduced carefully and selectively. Core concepts and techniques are discussed, together with numerous concrete examples to illustrate key principles. A special feature of the book is the use of computer software to investigate complex dynamical systems, both analytically and numerically. This text is ideal for graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are already familiar with the Newtonian and Lagrangian treatments of classical mechanics. The book is well suited to a one-semester course, but is easily adapted to a more concentrated format of one-quarter or a trimester. A solutions manual and introduction to Mathematica® are available online at www.cambridge.org/Lowenstein.

An introductory textbook exploring the subject of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, with a relaxed and self-contained setting. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics is the continuation of Newton's classical physics into new formalisms, each highlighting novel aspects of mechanics that gradually build in complexity to form the basis for almost all of theoretical physics. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics also acts as a gateway to more abstract concepts routed in differential geometry and field theories and can be used to introduce these subject areas to newcomers. Journeying in a self-contained manner from the very basics, through the fundamentals and onwards to the cutting edge of the subject, along the way the reader is supported by all the necessary background mathematics, fully worked examples, thoughtful and vibrant illustrations as well as an informal narrative and numerous fresh, modern and inter-disciplinary applications. The book contains some unusual topics for a classical mechanics textbook. Most notable examples include the 'classical wavefunction', Koopman-von Neumann theory, classical density functional theories, the 'vakonomic' variational principle for non-holonomic constraints, the Gibbs-Appell equations, classical path integrals, Nambu brackets and the full framing of mechanics in the language of differential geometry.