Introduces applied mathematicians and graduate students to an original relaxation method based on a continuous extension of various optimization problems relating to convex compactification; it can be applied to problems in optimal control theory, the calculus of variations, and non-cooperative game theory. Reviews the background and summarizes the general theory of convex compactifications, then uses it to obtain convex, locally compact envelopes of the Lebesague and Sobolev spaces involved in concrete problems. The nontrivial envelopes cover the classical Young measures as well as various generalizations of them, which can record the limit behavior of fast oscillation and concentration effects. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The relaxation method has enjoyed an intensive development during many decades and this new edition of this comprehensive text reflects in particular the main achievements in the past 20 years. Moreover, many further improvements and extensions are included, both in the direction of optimal control and optimal design as well as in numerics and applications in materials science, along with an updated treatment of the abstract parts of the theory.

The calculus of variations is a classical area of mathematical analysis-300 years old-yet its myriad applications in science and technology continue to hold great interest and keep it an active area of research. These two volumes contain the referenced proceedings of the international conference on Calculus of Variations and Related Topics held at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in March 1998. The conference commemorated 300 years of work in the field and brought together many of its leading experts. The papers in the first volume focus on critical point theory and differential equations. The other volume deals with variational aspects of optimal control. Together they provide a unique opportunity to review the state-of-the-art of the calculus of variations, as presented by an international panel of masters in the field.

Optimization and Differentiation is an introduction to the application of optimization control theory to systems described by nonlinear partial differential equations. As well as offering a useful reference work for researchers in these fields, it is also suitable for graduate students of optimal control theory.

This is an essentially self-contained book on the theory of convex functions and convex optimization in Banach spaces, with a special interest in Orlicz spaces. Approximate algorithms based on the stability principles and the solution of the corresponding nonlinear equations are developed in this text. A synopsis of the geometry of Banach spaces, aspects of stability and the duality of different levels of differentiability and convexity is developed. A particular emphasis is placed on the geometrical aspects of strong solvability of a convex optimization problem: it turns out that this property is equivalent to local uniform convexity of the corresponding convex function. This treatise also provides a novel approach to the fundamental theorems of Variational Calculus based on the principle of pointwise minimization of the Lagrangian on the one hand and convexification by quadratic supplements using the classical Legendre-Ricatti equation on the other. The reader should be familiar with the concepts of mathematical analysis and linear algebra. Some awareness of the principles of measure theory will turn out to be helpful. The book is suitable for students of the second half of undergraduate studies, and it provides a rich set of material for a master course on linear and nonlinear functional analysis. Additionally it offers novel aspects at the advanced level. From the contents: Approximation and Polya Algorithms in Orlicz Spaces Convex Sets and Convex Functions Numerical Treatment of Non-linear Equations and Optimization Problems Stability and Two-stage Optimization Problems Orlicz Spaces, Orlicz Norm and Duality Differentiability and Convexity in Orlicz Spaces Variational Calculus

The 12th conference on "Variational Calculus, Optimal Control and Applications" took place September 23-27, 1996, in Trassenheide on the Baltic Sea island of Use dom. Seventy mathematicians from ten countries participated. The preceding eleven conferences, too, were held in places of natural beauty throughout West Pomerania; the first time, in 1972, in Zinnowitz, which is in the immediate area of Trassenheide. The conferences were founded, and led ten times, by Professor Bittner (Greifswald) and Professor KlCitzler (Leipzig), who both celebrated their 65th birthdays in 1996. The 12th conference in Trassenheide, was, therefore, also dedicated to L. Bittner and R. Klotzler. Both scientists made a lasting impression on control theory in the former GDR. Originally, the conferences served to promote the exchange of research results. In the first years, most of the lectures were theoretical, but in the last few conferences practical applications have been given more attention. Besides their pioneering theoretical works, both honorees have also always dealt with applications problems. L. Bittner has, for example, examined optimal control of nuclear reactors and associated safety aspects. Since 1992 he has been working on applications in optimal control in flight dynamics. R. Klotzler recently applied his results on optimal autobahn planning to the south tangent in Leipzig. The contributions published in these proceedings reflect the trend to practical problems; starting points are often questions from flight dynamics.

The ENUMATH conferences were established in 1995 in order to provide a forum for discussion on recent topics of numerical mathematics. They seek to bring together leading experts and young scientists, with special emphasis on contributions from Europe.In the second ENUMATH conference in 1997, recent results and new trends in the analysis of numerical algorithms as well as their application to challenging scientific and industrial problems were discussed. Apart from theoretical aspects, a major part of the conference was devoted to numerical methods in interdisciplinary applications.The topics covered in this proceedings include: higher order finite element methods, non-matching grids, least-squares methods for partial differential equations, multiscale analysis, boundary element method, optimization in partial differential equations, solid mechanics, microstructures, computational fluid dynamics, computational electrodynamics and semiconductors.

The first part of this volume gathers the lecture notes of the courses of the “XVII Escuela Hispano-Francesa”, held in Gijón, Spain, in June 2016. Each chapter is devoted to an advanced topic and presents state-of-the-art research in a didactic and self-contained way. Young researchers will find a complete guide to beginning advanced work in fields such as High Performance Computing, Numerical Linear Algebra, Optimal Control of Partial Differential Equations and Quantum Mechanics Simulation, while experts in these areas will find a comprehensive reference guide, including some previously unpublished results, and teachers may find these chapters useful as textbooks in graduate courses. The second part features the extended abstracts of selected research work presented by the students during the School. It highlights new results and applications in Computational Algebra, Fluid Mechanics, Chemical Kinetics and Biomedicine, among others, offering interested researchers a convenient reference guide to these latest advances.

The simulation of complex engineering problems often involves an interaction or coupling of individual phenomena, which are traditionally related by themselves to separate fields of applied mechanics. Typical examples of these so-called multifield problems are the thermo-mechanical analysis of solids with coupling between mechanical stress analysis and thermal heat transfer processes, the simulation of coupled deformation and fluid transport mechanisms in porous media, the prediction of mass transprot and phase transition phenomena of mixtures, the analysis of sedimentation processes based on an interaction of particle dynamics and viscous flow, the simulation of multibody systems and fluid-structure interactions based on solid-to-solid and solid-to-fluid contact mechanisms.

Non-scalar variational problems appear in different fields. In geometry, for in stance, we encounter the basic problems of harmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds and of minimal immersions; related questions appear in physics, for example in the classical theory of a-models. Non linear elasticity is another example in continuum mechanics, while Oseen-Frank theory of liquid crystals and Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity require to treat variational problems in order to model quite complicated phenomena. Typically one is interested in finding energy minimizing representatives in homology or homotopy classes of maps, minimizers with prescribed topological singularities, topological charges, stable deformations i. e. minimizers in classes of diffeomorphisms or extremal fields. In the last two or three decades there has been growing interest, knowledge, and understanding of the general theory for this kind of problems, often referred to as geometric variational problems. Due to the lack of a regularity theory in the non scalar case, in contrast to the scalar one - or in other words to the occurrence of singularities in vector valued minimizers, often related with concentration phenomena for the energy density - and because of the particular relevance of those singularities for the problem being considered the question of singling out a weak formulation, or completely understanding the significance of various weak formulations becames non trivial.