Lectures on the Energy Critical Nonlinear Wave Equation

This monograph deals with recent advances in the study of the long-time asymptotics of large solutions to critical nonlinear dispersive equations. The first part of the monograph describes, in the context of the energy critical wave equation, the "concentration-compactness/rigidity theorem method" introduced by C. Kenig and F. Merle. This approach has become the canonical method for the study of the "global regularity and well-posedness" conjecture (defocusing case) and the "ground-state" conjecture (focusing case) in critical dispersive problems. The second part of the monograph describes the "channel of energy" method, introduced by T. Duyckaerts, C. Kenig, and F. Merle, to study soliton resolution for nonlinear wave equations. This culminates in a presentation of the proof of the soliton resolution conjecture, for the three-dimensional radial focusing energy critical wave equation. It is the intent that the results described in this book will be a model for what to strive for in the study of other nonlinear dispersive equations. A co-publication of the AMS and CBMS.