Description: Introducing the reader to classical integrable systems and their applications, this book synthesizes the different approaches to the subject, providing a set of interconnected methods for solving problems in mathematical physics. The authors introduce and explain each method, and demonstrate how it can be applied to particular examples. Rather than presenting an exhaustive list of the various integrable systems, they focus on classical objects which have well-known quantum counterparts, or are the semi-classical limits of quantum objects. They thus enable readers to understand the literature on quantum integrable systems.
Brief description: Olivier Babelon has been a member of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) since 1978. He works at the Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Hautes Energies (LPTHE) at the University of Paris VI-Paris VII. His main fields of interest are particle physics, gauge theories and integrables systems.
Review Quotes: "This very valuable addition to the literature on integrable systems should not be missed by any graduate student or specialist in this field." Mathematical Reviews