Numerical Hamiltonian Problems

The purpose of this book is to present a unified introduction to the interdisciplinary and growing field of symplectic integration of Hamiltonian problems. These problems appear frequently in physics and other sciences and should be simulated by symplectic integrators - ie by numerical methods that preserve the symplectic structure of phase space, thus reproducing the main feature of Hamiltonian dynamics. The authors explain in detail how to derive, analyze and use symplectic integrators. Virtually all currently available symplectic methods are reported using a coherent notation. "Numerical Hamiltonian Problems" includes five preliminary chapters on Hamiltonian problems and numerical methods, so that very little background knowledge should be required. Numerical examples are provided throughout.