Index Theory With Applications To Mathematics And Physics

Describes, explains, and explores the Index Theorem of Atiyah and Singer, one of the truly great accomplishments of twentieth-century mathematics whose influence continues to grow, fifty years after its discovery. David Bleecker and Bernhelm Boo�-Bavnbek give two proofs of the Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem in impressive detail: one based on K-theory and the other on the heat kernel approach.

The Motivation. With intensified use of mathematical ideas, the methods and techniques of the various sciences and those for the solution of practical problems demand of the mathematician not only greater readi ness for extra-mathematical applications but also more comprehensive orientations within mathematics. In applications, it is frequently less important to draw the most far-reaching conclusions from a single mathe matical idea than to cover a subject or problem area tentatively by a proper "variety" of mathematical theories. To do this the mathematician must be familiar with the shared as weIl as specific features of differ ent mathematical approaches, and must have experience with their inter connections. The Atiyah-Singer Index Formula, "one of the deepest and hardest results in mathematics", "probably has wider ramifications in topology and analysis than any other single result" (F. Hirzebruch) and offers perhaps a particularly fitting example for such an introduction to "Mathematics": In spi te of i ts difficulty and immensely rich interrela tions, the realm of the Index Formula can be delimited, and thus its ideas and methods can be made accessible to students in their middle * semesters. In fact, the Atiyah-Singer Index Formula has become progressively "easier" and "more transparent" over the years. The discovery of deeper and more comprehensive applications (see Chapter 111. 4) brought with it, not only a vigorous exploration of its methods particularly in the many facetted and always new presentations of the material by M. F.

A friendly introduction to higher index theory, a rapidly-developing subject at the intersection of geometry, topology and operator algebras. A well-balanced combination of introductory material (with exercises), cutting-edge developments and references to the wider literature make this book a valuable guide for graduate students and experts alike.

This book contains a self-consistent treatment of Besov spaces for W*-dynamical systems, based on the Arveson spectrum and Fourier multipliers. Generalizing classical results by Peller, spaces of Besov operators are then characterized by trace class properties of the associated Hankel operators lying in the W*-crossed product algebra. These criteria allow to extend index theorems to such operator classes. This in turn is of great relevance for applications in solid-state physics, in particular, Anderson localized topological insulators as well as topological semimetals. The book also contains a self-contained chapter on duality theory for R-actions. It allows to prove a bulk-boundary correspondence for boundaries with irrational angles which implies the existence of flat bands of edge states in graphene-like systems. This book is intended for advanced students in mathematical physics and researchers alike.

Differential geometry and topology have become essential tools for many theoretical physicists. In particular, they are indispensable in theoretical studies of condensed matter physics, gravity, and particle physics. Geometry, Topology and Physics, Second Edition introduces the ideas and techniques of differential geometry and topology at a level suitable for postgraduate students and researchers in these fields. The second edition of this popular and established text incorporates a number of changes designed to meet the needs of the reader and reflect the development of the subject. The book features a considerably expanded first chapter, reviewing aspects of path integral quantization and gauge theories. Chapter 2 introduces the mathematical concepts of maps, vector spaces, and topology. The following chapters focus on more elaborate concepts in geometry and topology and discuss the application of these concepts to liquid crystals, superfluid helium, general relativity, and bosonic string theory. Later chapters unify geometry and topology, exploring fiber bundles, characteristic classes, and index theorems. New to this second edition is the proof of the index theorem in terms of supersymmetric quantum mechanics. The final two chapters are devoted to the most fascinating applications of geometry and topology in contemporary physics, namely the study of anomalies in gauge field theories and the analysis of Polakov's bosonic string theory from the geometrical point of view. Geometry, Topology and Physics, Second Edition is an ideal introduction to differential geometry and topology for postgraduate students and researchers in theoretical and mathematical physics.

Professor Atiyah is one of the greatest living mathematicians and is well known throughout the mathematical world. He is a recipient of the Fields Medal, the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize, and is still at the peak of his career. His huge number of published papers, focusing on the areas of algebraic geometry and topology, have here been collected into six volumes, divided thematically for easy reference by individuals interested in a particular subject.

For closed manifolds, there is a highly elaborated theory of number-valued invariants, attached to the underlying manifold, structures and differential operators. On open manifolds, nearly all of this fails, with the exception of some special classes. The goal of this monograph is to establish for open manifolds, structures and differential operators an applicable theory of number-valued relative invariants. This is of great use in the theory of moduli spaces for nonlinear partial differential equations and mathematical physics. The book is self-contained: in particular, it contains an outline of the necessary tools from nonlinear Sobolev analysis.

This comprehensive introduction to functional analysis covers both the abstract theory and applications to spectral theory, the theory of partial differential equations, and quantum mechanics. It starts with the basic results of the subject and progresses towards a treatment of several advanced topics not commonly found in functional analysis textbooks, including Fredholm theory, form methods, boundary value problems, semigroup theory, trace formulas, and a mathematical treatment of states and observables in quantum mechanics. The book is accessible to graduate students with basic knowledge of topology, real and complex analysis, and measure theory. With carefully written out proofs, more than 300 problems, and appendices covering the prerequisites, this self-contained volume can be used as a text for various courses at the graduate level and as a reference text for researchers in the field.