Homogenization Of Differential Operators And Integral Functionals

It was mainly during the last two decades that the theory of homogenization or averaging of partial differential equations took shape as a distinct mathe matical discipline. This theory has a lot of important applications in mechanics of composite and perforated materials, filtration, disperse media, and in many other branches of physics, mechanics and modern technology. There is a vast literature on the subject. The term averaging has been usually associated with the methods of non linear mechanics and ordinary differential equations developed in the works of Poincare, Van Der Pol, Krylov, Bogoliubov, etc. For a long time, after the works of Maxwell and Rayleigh, homogeniza tion problems for· partial differential equations were being mostly considered by specialists in physics and mechanics, and were staying beyond the scope of mathematicians. A great deal of attention was given to the so called disperse media, which, in the simplest case, are two-phase media formed by the main homogeneous material containing small foreign particles (grains, inclusions). Such two-phase bodies, whose size is considerably larger than that of each sep arate inclusion, have been discovered to possess stable physical properties (such as heat transfer, electric conductivity, etc.) which differ from those of the con stituent phases. For this reason, the word homogenized, or effective, is used in relation to these characteristics. An enormous number of results, approximation formulas, and estimates have been obtained in connection with such problems as electromagnetic wave scattering on small particles, effective heat transfer in two-phase media, etc.

This book is an extensive study of the theory of homogenization of partial differential equations. This theory has become increasingly important in the last two decades and it forms the basis for numerous branches of physics like the mechanics of composite and perforated materials, filtration and disperse media. The book contains new methods to study homogenization problems, which arise in mathematics, science and engineering. It provides the basis for new research devoted to these problems and it is the first comprehensive monograph in this field. It will become an indispensable reference for graduate students in mathematics, physics and engineering.

Various applications of the homogenization theory of partial differential equations resulted in the further development of this branch of mathematics, attracting an increasing interest of both mathematicians and experts in other fields. In general, the theory deals with the following: Let Ak be a sequence of differential operators, linear or nonlinepr. We want to examine the asymptotic behaviour of solutions uk to the equation Auk = f, as k ~ =, provided coefficients of Ak contain rapid oscillations. This is the case, e. g. when the coefficients are of the form a(e/x), where the function a(y) is periodic and ek ~ 0 ask~=. Of course, of oscillation, like almost periodic or random homogeneous, are of many other kinds interest as well. It seems a good idea to find a differential operator A such that uk ~ u, where u is a solution of the limit equation Au = f Such a limit operator is usually called the homogenized operator for the sequence Ak . Sometimes, the term "averaged" is used instead of "homogenized". Let us look more closely what kind of convergence one can expect for uk. Usually, we have some a priori bound for the solutions. However, due to the rapid oscillations of the coefficients, such a bound may be uniform with respect to k in the corresponding energy norm only. Therefore, we may have convergence of solutions only in the weak topology of the energy space.

An introduction to the mathematical theory of the homogenization of multiple integrals, this book describes the overall properties of such functionals with various applications ranging from cellular elastic materials to Riemannian metrics.

This is the second of two volumes dedicated to the centennial of the distinguished mathematician Selim Grigorievich Krein. The companion volume is Contemporary Mathematics, Volume 733. Krein was a major contributor to functional analysis, operator theory, partial differential equations, fluid dynamics, and other areas, and the author of several influential monographs in these areas. He was a prolific teacher, graduating 83 Ph.D. students. Krein also created and ran, for many years, the annual Voronezh Winter Mathematical Schools, which significantly influenced mathematical life in the former Soviet Union. The articles contained in this volume are written by prominent mathematicians, former students and colleagues of Selim Krein, as well as lecturers and participants of Voronezh Winter Schools. They are devoted to a variety of contemporary problems in ordinary and partial differential equations, fluid dynamics, and various applications.

The chapters in this volume, written by international experts from different fields of mathematics, are devoted to honoring George Isac, a renowned mathematician. These contributions focus on recent developments in complementarity theory, variational principles, stability theory of functional equations, nonsmooth optimization, and several other important topics at the forefront of nonlinear analysis and optimization.

This volume contains 16 refereed research articles on function spaces, interpolation theory and related fields. Topics covered: theory of function spaces, Hankel-type and related operators, analysis on bounded symmetric domains, partial differential equations, Green functions, special functions, homogenization theory, Sobolev embeddings, Coxeter groups, spectral theory and wavelets. The book will be of interest to both researchers and graduate students working in interpolation theory, function spaces and operators, partial differential equations and analysis on bounded symmetric domains.