Asymptotics and Singularities in Nonlinear and Geometric Dispersive Equations (08w5058)

What do ocean waves, black holes, superluids, lasers, and magnets have in common? These physical systems all exhibit wave-like behaviour, on one hand, and on the other hand, highly non-linear behaviour, and they can all be described by remarkably similar mathematical equations! It is a huge mathematical challenge to understand this interplay of waves with nonlinearity, needing a wide variety of deep mathematical tools. Our worskhop at the Banff International Research Centre from August 24 - 29, 2008 brings together leading experts on such equations from all over the world, with the goal of learning and improving upon state-of-the-art knowledge in this field, and ultimately of furthering understanding of the diverse physical phenomena mentioned above.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologí­a (CONACYT).