2008-09 IAM-PIMS-MITACS Distinguished Colloquium Series - 04

Spatially localized structures occur widely across the physical sciences. Classic examples include localized buckling of slender structures, localized oscillations in vertically vibrated granular media (oscillons) and localized convection in fluid dynamics (convectons). In this talk I will describe the basic mathematics – and the physics – behind the formation of these often unexpected structures, with a view to providing a unified picture of their origin and properties.