Dynamics On Lorentz Manifolds

Within the general framework of the dynamics of “large” groups on geometric spaces, the focus is on the types of groups that can act in complicated ways on Lorentz manifolds, and on the structure of the resulting manifolds and actions. This particular area of dynamics is an active one, and not all the results are in their final form. However, at this point, a great deal can be said about the particular Lie groups that come up in this context. It is impressive that, even assuming very weak recurrence of the action, the list of possible groups is quite restricted. For the most complicated of these groups, one can also describe reasonably well the local structure of the actions that arise.This advanced text is also appropriate to a course for mathematics graduate students who have completed their first year of study.

Within the general framework of the dynamics of OC largeOCO groups on geometric spaces, the focus is on the types of groups that can act in complicated ways on Lorentz manifolds, and on the structure of the resulting manifolds and actions. This particular area of dynamics is an active one, and not all the results are in their final form. However, at this point, a great deal can be said about the particular Lie groups that come up in this context. It is impressive that, even assuming very weak recurrence of the action, the list of possible groups is quite restricted. For the most complicated of these groups, one can also describe reasonably well the local structure of the actions that arise. This advanced text is also appropriate to a course for mathematics graduate students who have completed their first year of study. Contents: Introduction, History and Outline; Basic Results and Definitions; Basic Differential Topology; Basic Lie Theoretic Results; More Lie Theory; Minkowski Linear Algebra; Basic Dynamical Results; Examples of Actions on Compact Lorentz Manifolds; Examples of Nonproper Actions; Semisimple Groups Admitting a Nonproper Action; Groups with Action on a Compact Lorentz Manifold; The Isometry Group of a Compact Lorentz Manifold; Highly Symmetric Compact Lorentz Manifolds; Locally Free Orbit Nonproper Lorentz Actions; Orbit Nonproper Lorentz Actions; Appendices: The Borel Density Theorem; Tameness of Algebraic Actions in Characteristic Zero. Readership: Researchers and graduate students in mathematics, mathematical physics and theoretical physics."

This volume contains the proceedings of the ICTS Program: Groups, Geometry and Dynamics, held December 3-16, 2012, at CEMS, Almora, India. The activity was an academic tribute to Ravi S. Kulkarni on his turning seventy. Articles included in this volume, both introductory and advanced surveys, represent the broad area of geometry that encompasses a large portion of group theory (finite or otherwise) and dynamics in its proximity. These areas have been influenced by Kulkarni's ideas and are closely related to his work and contribution.

"The study of group actions on manifolds is the meeting ground of a variety of mathematical areas. In particular, interesting geometric insights can be obtained by applying measure-theoretic techniques. This book provides an introduction to some of the important methods, major developments, and open problems in the subject. It is slightly expanded from lectures given by Zimmer at the CBMS conference at the University of Minnesota. The main text presents a perspective on the field as it was at that time. Comments at the end of each chapter provide selected suggestions for further reading, including references to recent developments."--BOOK JACKET.

Jerry Marsden, one of the world’s pre-eminent mechanicians and applied mathematicians, celebrated his 60th birthday in August 2002. The event was marked by a workshop on “Geometry, Mechanics, and Dynamics”at the Fields Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences, of which he wasthefoundingDirector. Ratherthanmerelyproduceaconventionalp- ceedings, with relatively brief accounts of research and technical advances presented at the meeting, we wished to acknowledge Jerry’s in?uence as a teacher, a propagator of new ideas, and a mentor of young talent. Con- quently, starting in 1999, we sought to collect articles that might be used as entry points by students interested in ?elds that have been shaped by Jerry’s work. At the same time we hoped to give experts engrossed in their own technical niches an indication of the wonderful breadth and depth of their subjects as a whole. This book is an outcome of the e?orts of those who accepted our in- tations to contribute. It presents both survey and research articles in the several ?elds that represent the main themes of Jerry’s work, including elasticity and analysis, ?uid mechanics, dynamical systems theory, g- metric mechanics, geometric control theory, and relativity and quantum mechanics. The common thread running through this broad tapestry is the use of geometric methods that serve to unify diverse disciplines and bring a widevarietyofscientistsandmathematicianstogether,speakingalanguage which enhances dialogue and encourages cross-fertilization.

The book presents state-of-the-art results on the analysis of the Einstein equations and the large scale structure of their solutions. It combines in a unique way introductory chapters and surveys of various aspects of the analysis of the Einstein equations in the large. It discusses applications of the Einstein equations in geometrical studies and the physical interpretation of their solutions. Open problems concerning analytical and numerical aspects of the Einstein equations are pointed out. Background material on techniques in PDE theory, differential geometry, and causal theory is provided.

This book provides an accessible introduction to the variational formulation of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, with a novel emphasis on global descriptions of the dynamics, which is a significant conceptual departure from more traditional approaches based on the use of local coordinates on the configuration manifold. In particular, we introduce a general methodology for obtaining globally valid equations of motion on configuration manifolds that are Lie groups, homogeneous spaces, and embedded manifolds, thereby avoiding the difficulties associated with coordinate singularities. The material is presented in an approachable fashion by considering concrete configuration manifolds of increasing complexity, which then motivates and naturally leads to the more general formulation that follows. Understanding of the material is enhanced by numerous in-depth examples throughout the book, culminating in non-trivial applications involving multi-body systems. This book is written for a general audience of mathematicians, engineers, and physicists with a basic knowledge of mechanics. Some basic background in differential geometry is helpful, but not essential, as the relevant concepts are introduced in the book, thereby making the material accessible to a broad audience, and suitable for either self-study or as the basis for a graduate course in applied mathematics, engineering, or physics.