Dresden 2000 – scientific programme

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SYMA: Mathematical Aspects of Dynamical Systems

SYMA III: HV III

SYMA III.1: Invited Talk

Monday, March 20, 2000, 11:35–12:15, H 04

Mathematics and Physics of the Kovalevskaya Top — •Peter Richter — Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Bremen, Postfach 33 04 40, D-28334 Bremen

In the year of Sonja Kovalevskaya’s 150th birthday, the rigid body system that carries her name is still one of the most fascinating examples of integrability in classical mechanics. The full complexity of its phase space geometry has only recently been elucidated. A movie will be presented for illustration. Analysis, topology, and physics do not always agree on what is relevant, but the Kovalevskaya top is a beautiful study case of their mutual relationship.