Bifurcation: Analysis, Algorithms, Applications

The conference on BIFURCATIONS: ANALYSIS, ALGORITHMS, APPLICATIONS took place in Dortmund in August 18 - 22, 1986. More then 150 Scientists from 16 countries participated in the meeting, among them mathematicians, engi­ neers, and physicists. A broad spectrum of new results on bifurcation was covered by 49 talks. The diversity of the range of treated topics and of involved fields inspired fruitful discussions. 36 refereed papers are contained in these proceedings. The subjects covered treat bifurcation problems, ranging from theoretical investigations to numerical results, with emphasis placed upon applications. The more theoreti­ cal papers include the topics symmetry breaking, delay differential equations, Cornu spirals, homoclinic orbits, and selfsimilarity. Different kinds of bifurcations are treated: Hopf bifurcation, bifurcation from continuous spec­ trum, complex bifurcation, and bifurcation near tori. Several numerical as­ pects are discussed, among them continuation, block elimination, and spectral methods. Algorithms are proposed for approximating manifolds, calculating pe­ riodic solutions and handling multi-parameter problems. Ample space is devoted to· applications. Classical phenomena from fluid mechanics (such as convection rolls and th~ Taylor vortex problem), buckling, and reaction-diffusion pro­ blems are considered. Other applications of bifurcations include railway vehicle dynamics, computer graphics, semiconductors, drilling processes, simu­ lation of oil reservoirs, and rotor dynamics. The proceedings reflect current research in bifurcation. They are an attempt to bring together researchers from differ~nt disciplines to stimulate common effort towards a better understanding and handling of bifurcation pro­ blems.