The Banach Center Conference

Second Workshop on Nonlinearity and Geometry. Darboux Days

The Mathematical Research and Conference Center at Będlewo, near Poznań, Poland

http://www.impan.gov.pl/EN/Bedlewo/index.html

April 13-19, 2008

Aims and Scope:

Jean Gaston Darboux

The modern theory of solitons is deeply rooted in the achievements of outstanding geometers of the turn of XIXth and beginning of XXth century, such as Luigi Bianchi or Jean Gaston Darboux. On the other hand the powerful methods of the theory of integrable systems can be fruitfully used in geometry. The purpose of this meeting is to bring researchers with diverse background together, to present the state of the art on the border between the two subjects: the fields of geometric inspirations in soliton theory and applications of the soliton techniques in geometry. The format is designed to enable substantial time for interaction and research. We are planning to start every session with longer lectures which will present the current trends and open problems in the fields and which will be accessible also to younger researchers. Most of the time will be, however, reserved for short communications on a variety of topics, including:

*Darboux and Bäcklund transformations
*Classical differential geometry and soliton theory
*Systems of hydrodynamic type
*Poisson geometry and integrable systems
*Twistor theory and integrability
*Discrete integrable equations
*Difference geometry
*Geometry of the Sato grassmannian
*Ultradiscrete systems and tropical geometry

There will be the special session dedicated to the pioneering role of Jean Gaston Darboux (1842-1917) in development of geometric ideas of the modern soliton theory.

The workshop, both in its subject and format, should be considered as a continuation of the First Non-orthodox School on Nonlinearity and Geometry. Luigi Bianchi Days, (Warsaw, September 1995).

Scientific Committee and Invited Lecturers:

Yuriy Aminov (Kharkov)
Valerii Dryuma (Kishinev)
Maciej Dunajski (Cambridge)
Jonathan J. C. Nimmo (Glasgow)
Frank W. Nijhoff (Leeds)
Paolo M. Santini (Rome)
Maciej Błaszak (Poznań)
Eugene V.  Ferapontov (Loughborough)
Jean-Pierre Françoise (Paris)
Wolfgang K. Schief (Berlin)
Tetsuji Tokihiro (Tokyo)

Local Organizing Committee:

Antoni Sym (University of Warsaw), Honorary Chairman
Mariusz Białecki (Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences)
Jan Cieśliński (University of Białystok)
Adam Doliwa (University of Warmia and Mazury)
Maciej Nieszporski (University of Warsaw)
Zbigniew Peradzyński (University of Warsaw)

We gratefully acknowledge support from the following bodies

Stefan Banach International Mathematical Center

Department of Mathematical Methods in Physics, University of Warsaw

Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Warmia and Mazury

Faculty of Physics, University of Białystok