Mathematical Physics

There are many applications of mathematical physics in several fields of basic science and engineering. Thus, we have tried to provide the Special Issue “Modern Problems of Mathematical Physics and Their Applications” to cover the new advances of mathematical physics and its applications.

This book should be considered as an introduction to a special dass of hierarchical systems of optimal control, where subsystems are described by partial differential equations of various types. Optimization is carried out by means of a two-level scheme, where the center optimizes coordination for the upper level and subsystems find the optimal solutions for independent local problems.

This volume combines the enlarged and corrected editions of both volumes on classical physics of Thirring's famous course in mathematical physics. With numerous examples and remarks accompanying the text, it is suitable as a textbook for students in physics, mathematics, and applied mathematics. The treatment of classical dynamical systems uses analysis on manifolds to provide the mathematical setting for discussions of Hamiltonian systems, canonical transformations, constants of motion, and pertubation theory.

This edition combines the earlier two volumes on Quantum Mechanics of Atoms and Molecules and on Quantum Mechanics of Large Systems, thus including in a single volume the material for a two-semester course on quantum physics. Since this volume is already quite heavy, I could not include many new results which show how lively the subject is. I just want to mention that inequality (IV:4. 1. l. 1) has been sharpened by T. Weidl by a factor 2][ and the difficult problem 1 of (III:4. 6) has been solved by A. Martin. I have to thank N. Ilieva for the devotion in preparing this new edition. Vienna, November 2001 Walter Thirring Preface to the Second Edition: Quantum Mechanics of Atoms and Molecules Ever since the first edition of this volume appeared in 1980 quantum statistical mechanics has florished. Innumerable results in many areas have been obtained and it would require a series of volumes to do justice to all of them. On the other hand the first edition was already rather crowded with many details so it would not be overburdened any more. Thus I added only one chapter on quantum ergodic theory where one can get the main notions across without too much pain. Nevertheless many subjects treated in the book had splendidely developed ever since and the only way out I could see is to add some recent references which the interested reader can consult.

The charm of Mathematical Physics resides in the conceptual difficulty of understanding why the language of Mathematics is so appropriate to formulate the laws of Physics and to make precise predictions. Citing Eugene Wigner, this "unreasonable appropriateness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" emerged soon at the beginning of the scientific thought and was splendidly depicted by the words of Galileo: "The grand book, the Universe, is written in the language of Mathematics." In this marriage, what Bertrand Russell called the supreme beauty, cold and austere, of Mathematics complements the supreme beauty, warm and engaging, of Physics.

Our knowledge of objects of complex and potential analysis has been enhanced recently by ideas and constructions of theoretical and mathematical physics, such as quantum field theory, nonlinear hydrodynamics, material science. These are some of the themes of this refereed collection of papers, which grew out of the first conference of the European Science Foundation Networking Programme 'Harmonic and Complex Analysis and Applications' held in Norway 2007.

Microlocal analysis is a field of mathematics that was invented in the mid-20th century for the detailed investigation of problems from partial differential equations, which incorporated and made rigorous many ideas that originated in physics. Since then it has grown to a powerful machine which is used in global analysis, spectral theory, mathematical physics and other fields, and its further development is a lively area of current mathematical research. In this book extended abstracts of the conference 'Microlocal Methods in Mathematical Physics and Global Analysis', which was held at the University of Tübingen from the 14th to the 18th of June 2011, are collected.​