Theta Functions

The theory of theta functions has a long history; for this, we refer A. Krazer and W. Wirtinger the reader to an encyclopedia article by ("Sources" [9]). We shall restrict ourselves to postwar, i. e., after 1945, periods. Around 1948/49, F. Conforto, c. L. Siegel, A. Well reconsidered the main existence theorems of theta functions and found natural proofs for them. These are contained in Conforto: Abelsche Funktionen und algebraische Geometrie, Springer (1956); Siegel: Analytic functions of several complex variables, Lect. Notes, I.A.S. (1948/49); Well: Theoremes fondamentaux de la theorie des fonctions theta, Sem. Bourbaki, No. 16 (1949). The complete account of Weil's method appeared in his book of 1958 [20]. The next important achievement was the theory of compacti fication of the quotient variety of Siegel's upper-half space by a modular group. There are many ways to compactify the quotient variety; we are talking about what might be called a standard compactification. Such a compactification was obtained first as a Hausdorff space by I. Satake in "On the compactification of the Siegel space", J. Ind. Math. Soc. 20, 259-281 (1956), and as a normal projective variety by W.L. Baily in 1958 [1]. In 1957/58, H. Cartan took up this theory in his seminar [3]; it was shown that the graded ring of modular forms relative to the given modular group is a normal integral domain which is finitely generated over C

Originally published: New York: Rinehart and Winston, 1961.

Theta functions were studied extensively by Ramanujan. This book provides a systematic development of Ramanujan’s results and extends them to a general theory. The author’s treatment of the subject is comprehensive, providing a detailed study of theta functions and modular forms for levels up to 12. Aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers, the organization, user-friendly presentation, and rich source of examples, lends this book to serve as a useful reference, a pedagogical tool, and a stimulus for further research. Topics, especially those discussed in the second half of the book, have been the subject of much recent research; many of which are appearing in book form for the first time. Further results are summarized in the numerous exercises at the end of each chapter.

These notes present new as well as classical results from the theory of theta functions on Riemann surfaces, a subject of renewed interest in recent years. Topics discussed here include: the relations between theta functions and Abelian differentials, theta functions on degenerate Riemann surfaces, Schottky relations for surfaces of special moduli, and theta functions on finite bordered Riemann surfaces.

Presents a modern treatment of the theory of theta functions in the context of algebraic geometry.

This book gives a complete proof of the Verlinde formula and of its connection to generalized theta functions.

This book presents several results on elliptic functions and Pi, using Jacobi’s triple product identity as a tool to show suprising connections between different topics within number theory such as theta functions, Eisenstein series, the Dedekind delta function, and Ramanujan’s work on Pi. The included exercises make it ideal for both classroom use and self-study.

This book presents the relationship between classical theta functions and knots. It is based on a novel idea of Razvan Gelca and Alejandro Uribe, which converts Weil''s representation of the Heisenberg group on theta functions to a knot theoretical framework, by giving a topological interpretation to a certain induced representation. It also explains how the discrete Fourier transform can be related to 3- and 4-dimensional topology. Theta Functions and Knots can be read in two perspectives. People with an interest in theta functions or knot theory can learn how the two are related. Those interested in ChernOCoSimons theory find here an introduction using the simplest case, that of abelian ChernOCoSimons theory. Moreover, the construction of abelian ChernOCoSimons theory is based entirely on quantum mechanics, and not on quantum field theory as it is usually done. Both the theory of theta functions and low dimensional topology are presented in detail, in order to underline how deep the connection between these two fundamental mathematical subjects is. Hence the book is a self-contained, unified presentation. It is suitable for an advanced graduate course, as well as for self-study. Contents: Some Historical Facts; A Quantum Mechanical Prototype; Surfaces and Curves; The Theta Functions Associated to a Riemann Surface; From Theta Functions to Knots; Some Results About 3- and 4-Dimensional Manifolds; The Discrete Fourier Transform and Topological Quantum Field Theory; Theta Functions and Quantum Groups; An Epilogue OCo Abelian ChernOCoSimons Theory. Readership: Graduate students and young researchers with an interest in complex analysis, mathematical physics, algebra geometry and low dimensional topology.