Michael Plum – författare

This book concentrates on the mathematics of photonic crystals, which form an important class of physical structures investigated in nanotechnology. Photonic crystals are materials which are composed of two or more different dielectrics or metals, and which exhibit a spatially periodic structure, typically at the length scale of hundred nanometers.

In the mathematical analysis and the numerical simulation of the partial differential equations describing nanostructures, several mathematical difficulties arise, e. g., the appropriate treatment of nonlinearities, simultaneous occurrence of continuous and discrete spectrum, multiple scales in space and time, and the ill-posedness of these problems.

This volume collects a series of lectures which introduce into the mathematical background needed for the modeling and simulation of light, in particular in periodic media, and for its applications in optical devices.

Inequalities arise as an essential component in various mathematical areas. Besides forming a highly important collection of tools, e.g. for proving analytic or stochastic theorems or for deriving error estimates in numerical mathematics, they constitute a challenging research field of their own. Inequalities also appear directly in mathematical models for applications in science, engineering, and economics.

This edited volume covers divers aspects of this fascinating field. It addresses classical inequalities related to means or to convexity as well as inequalities arising in the field of ordinary and partial differential equations, like Sobolev or Hardy-type inequalities, and inequalities occurring in geometrical contexts. Within the last five decades, the late Wolfgang Walter has made great contributions to the field of inequalities. His book on differential and integral inequalities was a real breakthrough in the 1970’s and has generated a vast variety of further research in this field. He also organized six of the seven “General Inequalities” Conferences held at Oberwolfach between 1976 and 1995, and co-edited their proceedings. He participated as an honorary member of the Scientific Committee in the “General Inequalities 8” conference in Hungary. As a recognition of his great achievements, this volume is dedicated to Wolfgang Walter’s memory. The “General Inequalities” meetings found their continuation in the “Conferences on Inequalities and Applications” which, so far, have been held twice in Hungary. This volume contains selected contributions of participants of the second conference which took place in Hajdúszoboszló in September 2010, as well as additional articles written upon invitation. These contributions reflect many theoretical and practical aspects in the field of inequalities, and will be useful for researchers and lecturers,as well as for students who want to familiarize themselves with the area.

Inequalities continue to play an essential role in mathematics. Perhaps, they form the last field comprehended and used by mathematicians in all areas of the discipline. Since the seminal work Inequalities (1934) by Hardy, Littlewood and Pólya, mathematicians have laboured to extend and sharpen their classical inequalities. New inequalities are discovered every year, some for their intrinsic interest whilst others flow from results obtained in various branches of mathematics. The study of inequalities reflects the many and various aspects of mathematics. On one hand, there is the systematic search for the basic principles and the study of inequalities for their own sake. On the other hand, the subject is the source of ingenious ideas and methods that give rise to seemingly elementary but nevertheless serious and challenging problems. There are numerous applications in a wide variety of fields, from mathematical physics to biology and economics.

This volume contains the contributions of the participants of the Conference on Inequalities and Applications held in Noszvaj (Hungary) in September 2007. It is conceived in the spirit of the preceding volumes of the General Inequalities meetings held in Oberwolfach from 1976 to 1995 in the sense that it not only contains the latest results presented by the participants, but it is also a useful reference book for both lecturers and research workers. The contributions reflect the ramification of general inequalities into many areas of mathematics and also present a synthesis of results in both theory and practice.