Topological Methods In Algebraic Transformation Groups

In recent years, there has been increasing interest and activity in the area of group actions on affine and projective algebraic varieties. Tech niques from various branches of mathematics have been important for this study, especially those coming from the well-developed theory of smooth compact transformation groups. It was timely to have an interdisciplinary meeting on these topics. We organized the conference "Topological Methods in Alg~braic Transformation Groups," which was held at Rutgers University, 4-8 April, 1988. Our aim was to facilitate an exchange of ideas and techniques among mathematicians studying compact smooth transformation groups, alge braic transformation groups and related issues in algebraic and analytic geometry. The meeting was well attended, and these Proceedings offer a larger audience the opportunity to benefit from the excellent survey and specialized talks presented. The main topics concerned various as pects of group actions, algebraic quotients, homogeneous spaces and their compactifications. The meeting was made possible by support from Rutgers University and the National Science Foundation. We express our deep appreciation for this support. We also thank Annette Neuen for her assistance with the technical preparation of these Proceedings.

“This book is a jewel – it explains important, useful and deep topics in Algebraic Topology that you won’t find elsewhere, carefully and in detail.” Prof. Günter M. Ziegler, TU Berlin

This book is about the interplay between algebraic topology and the theory of infinite discrete groups. It is a hugely important contribution to the field of topological and geometric group theory, and is bound to become a standard reference in the field. To keep the length reasonable and the focus clear, the author assumes the reader knows or can easily learn the necessary algebra, but wants to see the topology done in detail. The central subject of the book is the theory of ends. Here the author adopts a new algebraic approach which is geometric in spirit.

This is an account of the theory of certain types of compact transformation groups, namely those that are susceptible to study using ordinary cohomology theory and rational homotopy theory, which in practice means the torus groups and elementary abelian p-groups. The efforts of many mathematicians have combined to bring a depth of understanding to this area. However to make it reasonably accessible to a wide audience, the authors have streamlined the presentation, referring the reader to the literature for purely technical results and working in a simplified setting where possible. In this way the reader with a relatively modest background in algebraic topology and homology theory can penetrate rather deeply into the subject, whilst the book at the same time makes a useful reference for the more specialised reader.