The Stokes Phenomenon And Hilbert's 16th Problem

Book excerpt: The 16th Problem of Hilbert is one of the most famous remaining unsolved problems of mathematics. It concerns whether a polynomial vector field on the plane has a finite number of limit cycles. There is a strong connection with divergent solutions of differential equations, where a central role is played by the Stokes Phenomenon, the change in asymptotic behaviour of the solutions in different sectors of the complex plane.The contributions to these proceedings survey both of these themes, including historical and modern theoretical points of view. Topics covered include the Riemann-Hilbert problem, Painleve equations, nonlinear Stokes phenomena, and the inverse Galois problem.