Mathematical Aspects of Classical Field Theory

Classical field theory has undergone a renaissance in recent years. Symplectic techniques have yielded deep insights into its foundations, as has an improved understanding of the variational calculus. Further impetus for the study of classical fields has come from other areas, such as integrable systems, Poisson geometry, global analysis, and quantum theory. This book contains the proceedings of the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Classical Field Theory, held in July 1991 at the University of Washington at Seattle. The conference brought together researchers in many of the main areas of classical field theory to present the latest ideas and results. The volume contains thirty refereed papers, both survey and research articles, and is designed to reflect the state of the art as well as chart the future course of the subject.