Solitons and Condensed Matter Physics : Proceedings of the Symposium on Nonlinear (Soliton) Structure and Dynamics in Condensed Matter, Oxford, England, June 27–29, 1978

Nonl Inear Ideas Of A Sol Iton Variety Have Been A Unifying Influence On The Na Tura 1 Sci Ences For Many Decades. Ho~/ever, Thei R Uni Versa 1 A Pprec I At I On In The Physics Community As A Genuine Paradigm Is Very Much A Current Develop Ment. All Of Us Who Have Been Associated With This Recent Wave Of Enthusiasm Were Impressed With The Variety Of Applications, Their Inevitability Once The Mental Contraint Of Linear Normal Modes Is Removed, And Above All By The Common Mathematical Structures Underpinning Applications With Quite Different (and Often Novel) Physical Manifestations. This Has Certainly Been The Situ Ation In Condensed Matter, And When, During The Paris Lattice Dynamics Con Ference (september 1977), One Of Us (t. S. ) First Suggested A Condensed Matter Soliton Meeting, The Idea Was Strongly Encouraged. It Would Provide An Opportunity To Exhibit The Common Mathematical Problems, Illuminate The New Contexts, And Thereby Focus The Subject Of Nonlinear Physics At This Embryonic Stage Of Its Evolution. The Original Conception Was To Achieve A Balance Of Mathematicians And Phy~cis~ Such That Each Would Benefit From The Other's Expertise And Out Look. In Contrast To Many Soliton Meetings, Ho~/ever, A Deliberate Attempt Was Made To Emphasize Physics Contexts Rather Than Mathematical Details. Front Matter....Pages I-XI Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Solitons in Mathematics: Brief History....Pages 2-21 Solitons in Physics....Pages 22-26 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Numerical Studies of Solitons....Pages 28-43 Poles of the Toda Lattice....Pages 44-47 Perturbation Theory of the Double Sine-Gordon Equation....Pages 48-51 Soliton Perturbations and Nonlinear Focussing....Pages 52-67 Novel Class of Nonlinear Evolution Equations Solvable by the Spectral Transform Technique, Including the So-Called Cylindrical KdV Equation....Pages 68-70 The Complex Modified Korteweg-de Vries Equation, a Non-Integrable Evolution Equation....Pages 71-75 Front Matter....Pages 77-77 Soliton-Bound States in the Magnetic Gap....Pages 78-84 Statistical Mechanics of Nonlinear Dispersive Systems....Pages 85-103 Some Applications of Instantons in Statistical Mechanics....Pages 104-115 The Theory of Structural Phase Transitions: Cluster Walls and Phonons....Pages 116-134 Nonlinear Lattice Dynamics: Molecular Dynamics Studies....Pages 135-149 Computer Simulation of Structural Phase Transitions....Pages 150-153 Soliton-Like Features in a Two-Dimensional XY Model with Quartic Anisotropy....Pages 154-157 Behavior of a ⌽ 4 -Kink in the Presence of an Inhomogeneous Perturbation....Pages 158-161 Solitary Wave Solutions in a Diatomic Lattice....Pages 162-165 Lattice Models of High Velocity Dislocation Motion....Pages 166-182 Grain Boundaries as Solitary Waves....Pages 183-186 The Relation of Solitons to Polaritons in Coupled Systems....Pages 187-190 Front Matter....Pages 77-77 Solitons in CsNiF 3 : Their Experimental Evidence and Their Thermodynamics....Pages 191-194 Structure and Stability of Domain Walls — Phase Transition....Pages 195-198 Periodic Lattice Distortions and Charge Density Waves in One- and Two-Dimensional Systems....Pages 199-215 Solitons in Incommensurate Systems....Pages 216-233 Fluctuations and Freezing in a One-Dimensional Liquid: Hg 3−δ AsF 6 ....Pages 234-245 Charge Density Wave Systems: The ⌽ -Particle Model....Pages 246-253 The Soliton Lattice: Application to the ω Phase....Pages 254-263 The New Concept of Transitions by Breaking of Analyticity in a Crystallographic Model....Pages 264-277 Textures in Superfluid 3 He....Pages 278-290 Creation of Spin Waves in 3 HeB....Pages 291-296 The Interaction of Spin Waves in Liquid He 3 in Several Dimensions....Pages 297-300 Josephson Transmission Line Oscillators....Pages 301-312 Dissipative Structures in Quasi-One-Dimensional Superconductors....Pages 313-316 Solitary Phenomena in Finite Dissipative Discrete Systems....Pages 317-320 Stability of Nonuniform States in Systems Exhibiting Continuous Bifurcation....Pages 321-325 The Sine-Gordon Chain: Mass Diffusion....Pages 326-329 Solitary Wave Propagation as a Model for Poling in PVF 2 ....Pages 330-333 Theory of One-Dimensional Ionic and Solitary Wave Conduction in Potassium Hollandite....Pages 334-335 Front Matter....Pages 337-337 Summary: Where Do Solitons Go from Here?....Pages 338-340 Back Matter....Pages 341-341