Overview

This text introduces the theory of Hamiltonian chaos, outlines the main results in the field, and goes on to consider implications for quantum mechanics.The study of nonlinear dynamics, and in particular of chaotic systems, is one of the fastest growing and productive areas in physics and applied mathematics. In its first six chapters, this timely book introduces the theory of classical Hamiltonian systems. The aim is not to be comprehensive, but rather to provide a starting point for further investigation. The main focus is on periodic orbits and their neighborhood, since this approach is an especially suitable introduction to the implications of the theory of chaos in quantum mechanics discussed in the last three chapters.The book will be valuable to all researchers and graduate students in physics or applied mathematics interested in Hamiltonian chaos and its implications for quantum theory.