Normal forms and stability of Hamiltonian systems (Q6137480)

Hamiltonian systems, their stability and their normal forms are the main topics of this book. These are presented in an historical context that gives the reader a good sense of their development over time while identifying the major contributors to the theory. Authors' preface does a particularly good job here -- identifying the origins and motivations of the ideas and describing how all the various parts -- concepts, methods and tools -- fit together. The book begins with preliminary material on advanced calculus, designed primarily as a review for readers who have previously learnt the subject. Then the general theory of Hamiltonian systems is presented, with particular attention to the concepts of canonical (symplectic) transformations. The heart of the book follows. It is an extended treatment of normal forms of Hamiltonian systems and the stability of autonomous, periodic, and time-dependent Hamiltonian systems. The treatment of Hamiltonian normal forms tracks its history forward from Birkhoff's original work, proves some existence theorems, and describes two of the main structural theorems. The normalization of a real Hamiltonian matrix is first considered for some special cases, and then a whole chapter is devoted to general linear normalization. The stability of equilibria is first discussed in general terms, and then is focused on stability of linear Hamiltonian systems. A final chapter takes up periodic linear Hamiltonian systems that depend on a parameter, and the problem of resonances that can occur for some values of the parameters. The authors provide an extensive and very complete set of references. The book is aimed primarily at people with background in the general area of dynamics and Hamiltonian systems, and is probably not suitable for those new to the field.