This book contains the manuscripts of the papers delivered at the International Sym posium on Synergetics held at SchloB Elmau, Bavaria, Germany, from April 30 until May 5, 1979. This conference followed several previous ones (Elmau 1972, Sicily 1974, Elmau 1977). This time the subject of the symposium was "pattern formation by dynam ic systems and pattern recognition". The meeting brought together scientists from such diverse fields as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history as well as experts in the fields of pattern recognition and associative memory. When I started this type of conference in 1972 it appeared to be a daring enter prise. Indeed, we began to explore virgin land of science: the systematic study of cooperative effects in physical systems far from equi~ibrium and in other disciplines. Though these meetings were attended by scientists from quite different disciplines, a basic concept and even a common language were found from the very beginning. The idea that there exist profound analogies in the behaviour of large classes of complex systems, though the systems themselves may be quite different, proved to be most fruitful. I was delighted to see that over the past one or two years quite similar conferences were now held in various places allover the world. The inclusion of prob lems of pattern recognition at the present meeting is a novel feature, however.

Autorentext
Hermann Haken is Professor of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Stuttgart. He is known as the founder of synergetics. His research has been in nonlinear optics (in particular laser physics), solid state physics, statistical physics, and group theory. After the implementation of the first laser in 1960, Professor Haken developed his institute to an international center for laser theory. The interpretation of the laser principles as self organization of non equilibrium systems paved the way to the development of synergetics, of which Haken is recognized as the founder. Hermann Haken has been visiting professor or guest scientist in England, France, Japan, USA, Russia, and China. He is the author of some 23 textbooks and monographs that cover an impressive number of topics from laser physics to synergetics, and editor of a book series in synergetics. For his pathbreaking work and his influence on academic research, he has been awarded many-times. Among others, he is member of the Order "Pour le merite" and received the Max Planck Medal in 1990.

Inhalt
I. Introduction.- Pattern Formation and Pattern Recognition An Attempt at a Synthesis.- II. Temporal Patterns: Laser Oscillations and Other Quantum-Optical Effects.- Atomic Cooperation in Quantum Optics: Superfluorescence and Optical Bistability.- Experimental Aspects of Transition Phenomena in Quantum Optics.- Laser with Saturable Absorber. Fluctuations and Stability.- III. Pattern Formation in Fluids.- Patterns of Convection in Plane Layers and in Spherical Shells.- Laserlike Approach to the Dynamics of the Rayleigh-Bénard and the Soret-Driven Instabilities.- Phase Locking in the Oscillations Leading to Turbulence.- IV. Turbulence and Chaos.- A Simplified Theory of Intermittent Fully-Developed Turbulence.- Chaos and Its Description.- V. Pattern Recognition and Pattern Formation in Biology.- Figure-Ground Discrimination by the Visual System of the Fly.- A Theory of Drug Induced Visual Hallucination Patterns.- Physiological Mechanisms for the Perception of Random Dot Moiré Patterns.- Similarities Between Pattern Formation and Pattern Recognition (Interpretation) During Biological Development.- Electrical Effects in Nonlinear Physico-Chemical Systems: Field Chemical Wave Interaction and Bio-Self Electrophoresis.- Patterns in the Immune System.- The Oscillatory Basis of Cell Energy Metabolism.- VI. Pattern Recognition and Associations.- Recent Advances in Syntactic Pattern Recognition.- Abduction of Semantic Patterns.- Representation and Processing of Associations Using Vector Space Operations.- VII. Pattern Formation in Ecology, Sociology and History.- Non-Uniform Stable Solutions to Reaction-Diffusion Equations: Applications to Ecological Pattern Formation.- Socioeconomic Inequalities: Adaptation and Application of a Theory of Biological Pattern Formation.-Systems and Changes of Systems in History.- VIII. General Approaches.- Bifurcation and Nonlinear Focusing.- Thermodynamics of Nonequilibrium Processes.- Growth of Fluctuations in Thermodynamically Unstable Systems.- Evolution of Systems. Time Scaling and Scaling Factors.- Index of Contributors.