Stationary diffraction by wedges: method of automorphic functions on complex characteristics

This book presents a new and original method for the solution of boundary value problems in angles for second-order elliptic equations with constant coefficients and arbitrary boundary operators. This method turns out to be applicable to many different areas of mathematical physics, in particular to diffraction problems in angles and to the study of trapped modes on a sloping beach. Giving the reader the opportunity to master the techniques of the modern theory of diffraction, the book introduces methods of distributions, complex Fourier transforms, pseudo-differential operators, Riemann surfaces, automorphic functions, and the Riemann–Hilbert problem. The book will be useful for students, postgraduates and specialists interested in the application of modern mathematics to wave propagation and diffraction problems.