Pattern formation in physical systems is one of the major research frontiers of mathematics. A central theme of this book is that many instances of pattern formation can be understood within a single framework: symmetry.


The book applies symmetry methods to increasingly complex kinds of dynamic behavior: equilibria, period-doubling, time-periodic states, homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits, and chaos. Examples are drawn from both ODEs and PDEs. In each case the type of dynamical behavior being studied is motivated through applications, drawn from a wide variety of scientific disciplines ranging from theoretical physics to evolutionary biology. An extensive bibliography is provided.