In these proceedings of the June 2005 workshop, an eclectic mix of contributors describe how nonlinear dynamics affects their work in applied mathematics, astrophysics, galactic dynamics, plasma physics. cosmology, accelerator design and statistical mechanics with topics such as chaotic collisionless evolution in galaxies, energy trapping in loaded string modules with long and short range, nonlinear stability of Newtonian galaxies and stars from a mathematical perspective, the basic dynamical mechanism in spiral galaxies, and chaos and quantum mechanics. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
This volume, the proceedings of the 16th Florida Workshop in Nonlinear Astronomy and Physics, emphasizes the cross-disciplinary nature of much current research in astronomy and physics in the area of dynamics. Developments in one field can advance more quickly when information is available regarding parallel developments in other fields. This occurs not only by the exchange of methods and techniques, but also from conceptual refinements resulting from different perspectives on similar problems.
Contributors to this volume include theorists and experimentalists from the fields of nonlinear dynamics, mathematics, galactic dynamics and structure, dark matter, plasma physics, accelerator beams, and statistical mechanics. Dynamical problems on all astrophysical scales are discussed from those of the sun and the solar system to cosmology.
This is a particularly appropriate time to look at this subject because observations have provided compelling evidence that many galaxies are genuinely three-dimensional; that is, they are neither spherical nor axisymmetric, they typically have a central density cusp, and the center of the galaxy often contains a super massive black hole. Furthermore, the Hubble Space Telescope has produced exciting data about the spatial and temporal structure of cosmological space-time and especially about the epoch of galaxy formation.
The meeting and the volume are dedicated to the memory of Professor Henry E. Kandrup, whose work was centered on stochastic problems in stellar dynamics.
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