Chaos and Complexity in Astrophysics

by Oded Regev

Overview

The discipline of nonlinear dynamics has developed explosively in all areas of physics over the last two decades. This comprehensive primer summarizes the main developments in the mathematical theory of dynamical systems, chaos, pattern formation and complexity. An introduction to mathematical concepts and techniques is given in the first part of the book, before being applied to stellar, interstellar, galactic and large scale complex phenomena in the Universe. Oded Regev demonstrates the possible application of ideas including strange attractors, Poincaré sections, fractals, bifurcations, and complex spatial patterns, to specific astrophysical problems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107406544
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/16/2012
Pages:	470
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Oded Regev is Professor of Physics at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. He is co-author of Physics with Answers with Andrew King (0521483697).

Table of Contents

Part I. Dynamical Systems - General: 1. Introduction to Part I; 2. Astrophysical examples; 3. Mathematical properties of dynamical systems; 4. Properties of chaotic dynamics; 5. Analysis of time series; 6. Regular and irregular motion in Hamiltonian systems; 7. Extended systems - instabilities and patterns; Part II. Astrophysical Applications: 8. Introduction to Part II; 9. Planetary, stellar and galactic dynamics; 10. Irregularly variable astronomical point sources; 11. Complex spatial patterns in astrophysics; 12. Topics in astrophysical fluid dynamics; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Review of the hardback: 'There are countless books on dynamical systems, chaos, nonlinear dynamics, and so on, but this is the best for the all-round astrophysicist. It is not a straight-laced textbook or a how-to manual, but a good-natured guidebook to the literature. … you will end up much better educated, learning lots of facts and insights into a wide range of topics from Liapounov indicators to the theory of turbulence. … Without eschewing deep results, the book is as readable as a novel, and like any decent novel, deserves to be read from cover to cover …' The Observatory

From the Publisher