This book has evolved from lectures and graduate courses given in Brescia (Italy), Bordeaux and Toulouse (France};' It is intended to serve as an intro- duction to the stability analysis of noncharacteristic multidimensional small viscosity boundary layers developed in (MZl]. We consider parabolic singular perturbations of hyperbolic systems L(u) - P(u) = 0, where L is a nonlinear hyperbolic first order system and P a nonlinear spatially elliptic term. The parameter e measures the strength of the diffusive effects. With obvious reference to fluid mechanics, it is referred to as a "viscosity."...

* Metivier is an expert in the field of pdes/math physics, with a particular emphasis on shock waves.

* New monograph focuses on mathematical methods, models, and applications of boundary layers, present in many problems of physics, engineering, fluid mechanics.

* Metivier has good Birkhauser track record: one of the main authors of "Advances in the Theory of Shock Waves" (Freistuehler/Szepessy, eds, 4187-4).

* Manuscript endorsed by N. Bellomo, MSSET series editor...should be a good sell to members of MSSET community, who by-in-large are based in Europe.

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