Adventures in Order and Chaos: A Scientific Autobiography / Edition 1
by George Contopoulos
The field of Order and Chaos had a remarkable expansion in the last 50 years. The main reason was the use of computers, and the development of new theoretical methods that we call now 'the theory of chaos'. The author describes this fascinating period in a relaxed and sometimes humorous autobiographical way. He relates his interactions with many people in dynamical
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The field of Order and Chaos had a remarkable expansion in the last 50 years. The main reason was the use of computers, and the development of new theoretical methods that we call now 'the theory of chaos'. The author describes this fascinating period in a relaxed and sometimes humorous autobiographical way. He relates his interactions with many people in dynamical astronomy and he quotes several anecdotes from these interactions. He refers also to his experiences when he served in various international positions, such as general secretary of the IAU and chairman of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. In recent years the theory of chaos has been extended to new areas, like relativity, cosmology and quantum mechanics and it continues expanding in almost all branches of physics. The book describes many important ideas in this field in a simple way. It refers also to problems of more general interest, like writing papers and giving lectures and the interaction of authors and referees. Finally it gives some useful prospects for the future of dynamical astronomy and related fields.
Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9781402030390
- Publisher:
- Springer Netherlands
- Publication date:
- 02/28/2005
- Series:
- Astrophysics and Space Science Library Series, #313
- Edition description:
- 2004
- Pages:
- 200
- Product dimensions:
- 6.30(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Table of Contents
1. Years of study.- 2. Thesis.- 3. First Trips Abroad.- 4. Appointment as a Professor.- 5. The Third Integral.- 6. To the United States (Through Moscow).- 7. Yale.- 8. Chandrasekhar.- 9. Princeton - New York.- 10. First IAU Symposium in Dynamical Astronomy.- 11. IAU Commission 33.- 12. Applications of the Third Integral.- 12.1. Celestial Mechanics. 12.2. Galactic Dynamics. 12.3. The Fermi-Pasta-Ulam Problem. 12.4. The Störmer Problem. 12.5. Solitons. 12.6. Other Applications. 12.7. The Breakdown of the Third Integral. 13. Resonance Overlap.- 14. The Junta Period and the IAU.- 15. Second Sabbatical in the USA. The Density Wave Theory.- 16. A Visit to Israel.- 17. First IAU regional meeting.- 18. Contacts in Italy.- 19. Service in the IAU.- 20. IAU secretariat.- 21. Visits to the USSR.- 22. Topological methods in Galactic Dynamics.- 23. The IAU General Assembly in Grenoble.- 24. A Sabbatical at ESO.- 25. Astronomy and Astrophysics.- 26. Travelling in Western Europe.- 27. Destruction of the Integrals.- 28. Systems of three Degrees of Freedom.- 29. Bifurcations.- 30. The IAU General Assembly in Greece.- 31. Brouwer Prize.- 32. Visits to ESO.- 33. Termination of Spirals and Bars.- 34. Further Travel.- 35. Order and Chaos.- 36. Relativity and Cosmology.- 37. Quantum Mechanics vs. Classical Mechanics.- 38. University of Florida.- 39. Integrable Models.- 40. Escapes.- 41. Potentials without Escapes.- 42. Chaos and Randomness.- 43. Homoclinic and Heteroclinic Tangles.- 44. Honorary Degree from the University of Chicago.- 45. Dynamical Spectra.- 46. Destruction of Islands of Stability.- 47. Stickiness.- 48. Collaborators in Greece.- 49. Collaborators Abroad.- 50. Our Faculty.- 51. NATO.- 52. Motivation.- 53. Papers and Referees.- 54. Lectures.- 55. Academy of Athens.- 56. Prospects for the Future
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