Abstract: There has been a significant increase recently in activities on the interface between applied analysis and probability theory. With the potential of a combined approach to the study of various physical systems in view, this book is a collection of topical survey articles by leading researchers in both fields, working on the mathematical description of growth phenomena in the broadest sense. The main aim of the book is to foster interaction between researchers in probability and analysis, and to inspire joint efforts to attack important physical problems. Mathematical methods discussed in the book comprise large deviation theory, lace expansion, harmonic analysis, multi-scale techniques, and homogenization of partial differential equations. Models based on the physics of individual particles are discussed alongside models based on the continuum description of large collections of particles, and the mathematical theories are used to describe physical phenomena such as droplet formation, Bose–Einstein condensation, Anderson localization, Ostwald ripening, or the formation of the early universe.

Keywords: growth processes, mathematical physics, quantum models, macroscopic models