This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications SHOCK INDUCED TRANSITIONS AND PHASE STRUCTURES IN GENERAL MEDIA is based on the proceedings of a workshop that was an integral part of the 1990-91 IMA program on "Phase Transitions and Free Boundaries." The workshop focused on the thermodynamics and mechanics of dynamic phase transitions that are mainly inertially driven and brought together physicists, metallurgists, mathematicians, engineers, and molecular dynamicists with interests in these problems. Financial support of the National Science Foundation made the meeting pos sible. We are...

The study of phase transitions is one of the fundamental problems of physics. The goal of this seminar was to understand better the spectacular progress made recently in constructing continuum models. Concentrating on a few examples such as the microstructure of crystals, defects in liquid crystals and liquid-vapor interfaces, several key points are described, for example the structure and evolution of the interfaces, regularization via interfacial energy, and equilibrium theories. The mathematical treatment of these questions involves large-oscillation theories (Young's measures, compensated...