PREFACE

Summary

The theory of dynamical systems is a major mathematical discipline closely intertwined with most of the main areas of mathematics. Its mathematical core is the study of the global orbit structure of maps and flows with emphasis on properties invariant under coordinate changes. Its concepts, methods, and paradigms greatly stimulate research in many sciences and have given rise to the vast new area of applied dynamics (also called nonlinear science or chaos theory). The field of dynamical systems comprises several major disciplines, but we are interested mainly in finite-dimensional differentiable dynamics. This theory is inseparably connected with several other areas, primarily ergodic theory, symbolic dynamics, and topological dynamics. So far there has been no account that treats differentiable dynamics from a sufficiently comprehensive point of view encompassing the relations with these areas. This book attempts to fill this gap. It provides a self-contained coherent comprehensive exposition of the fundamentals of the theory of smooth dynamical systems together with the related areas of other fields of dynamics as a core mathematical discipline while providing researchers interested in applications with fundamental tools and paradigms. It introduces and rigorously develops the central concepts and methods in dynamical systems and their applications to a wide variety of topics.