Ellipsoidal Harmonics: Theory and Applications

The sphere is what might be called a perfect shape. Unfortunately nature is imperfect and many bodies are better represented by an ellipsoid. The theory of ellipsoidal harmonics, originated in the nineteenth century, could only be seriously applied with the kind of computational power available in recent years. This, therefore, is the first book devoted to ellipsoidal harmonics. Topics are drawn from geometry, physics, biosciences and inverse problems. It contains classical results as well as ne…