C. M. Series - Böcker

The p-adic numbers, the earliest of local fields, were introduced by Hensel some 70 years ago as a natural tool in algebra number theory. Today the use of this and other local fields pervades much of mathematics, yet these simple and natural concepts, which often provide remarkably easy solutions to complex problems, are not as familiar as they should be. This book, based on postgraduate lectures at Cambridge, is meant to rectify this situation by providing a fairly elementary and self-contained introduction to local fields. After a general introduction, attention centres on the p-adic numbers and their use in number theory. There follow chapters on algebraic number theory, diophantine equations and on the analysis of a p-adic variable. This book will appeal to undergraduates, and even amateurs, interested in number theory, as well as to graduate students.

This book is an elementary introduction to the geometrical methods and notions used in special and general relativity. Particular emphasis is placed on the ideas concerned with the structure of spacetime and those which play a role in the Penrose-Hawking singularity theorems. Indeed, the author's prime purpose is to give a rigorous proof of the simplest of these theorems yet one which is representative of the whole. No previous exposure either to relativity theory or differential geometry is required to the reader, as necessary concepts are developed when needed, though in order to keep the presentation reasonably accessible, some restrictions are imposed on the types of space considered. Each chapter is liberally supplied with exercises and examples. The book will therefore be attractive to senior undergraduate and first year graduate students of mathematics and physics for independent study or courses preparatory to more advanced works.

Algebraic geometry is, essentially, the study of the solution of equations and occupies a central position in pure mathematics. This short and readable introduction to algebraic geometry will be ideal for all undergraduate mathematicians coming to the subject for the first time. With the minimum of prerequisites, Dr Reid introduces the reader to the basic concepts of algebraic geometry including: plane conics, cubics and the group law, affine and projective varieties, and non-singularity and dimension. He is at pains to stress the connections the subject has with commutative algebra as well as its relation to topology, differential geometry, and number theory. The book arises from an undergraduate course given at the University of Warwick and contains numerous examples and exercises illustrating the theory.

The theory of quantum fields on curved spacetimes has attracted great attention since the discovery, by Stephen Hawking, of black-hole evaporation. It remains an important subject for the understanding of such contemporary topics as inflationary cosmology, quantum gravity and superstring theory. This book provides, for mathematicians, an introduction to this field of physics in a language and from a viewpoint which such a reader should find congenial. Physicists should also gain from reading this book a sound grasp of various aspects of the theory, some of which have not been particularly emphasised in the existing review literature. The topics covered include normal-mode expansions for a general elliptic operator, Fock space, the Casimir effect, the 'Klein' paradox, particle definition and particle creation in expanding universes, asymptotic expansion of Green's functions and heat kernels, and renormalisation of the stress tensor. The style is pedagogic rather than formal; some knowledge of general relativity and differential geometry is assumed, but the author does supply background material on functional analysis and quantum field theory as required. The book arose from a course taught to graduate students and could be used for self-study or for advanced courses in relativity and quantum field theory.

This book is based on a graduate course taught by the author at the University of Maryland, USA. The lecture notes have been revised and augmented by examples. The work falls into two strands. The first two chapters develop the elementary theory of Artin Braid groups both geometrically and via homotopy theory, and discuss the link between knot theory and the combinatorics of braid groups through Markov's Theorem. The final two chapters give a detailed investigation of polynomial covering maps, which may be viewed as a homomorphism of the fundamental group of the base space into the Artin braid group on n strings. This book will be of interest to both topologists and algebraists working in braid theory.

Commutative algebra is at the crossroads of algebra, number theory and algebraic geometry. This textbook is affordable and clearly illustrated, and is intended for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students with some previous experience of rings and fields. Alongside standard algebraic notions such as generators of modules and the ascending chain condition, the book develops in detail the geometric view of a commutative ring as the ring of functions on a space. The starting point is the Nullstellensatz, which provides a close link between the geometry of a variety V and the algebra of its coordinate ring A=k[V]; however, many of the geometric ideas arising from varieties apply also to fairly general rings. The final chapter relates the material of the book to more advanced topics in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. It includes an account of some famous 'pathological' examples of Akizuki and Nagata, and a brief but thought-provoking essay on the changing position of abstract algebra in today's world.

Commutative algebra is at the crossroads of algebra, number theory and algebraic geometry. This textbook is affordable and clearly illustrated, and is intended for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students with some previous experience of rings and fields. Alongside standard algebraic notions such as generators of modules and the ascending chain condition, the book develops in detail the geometric view of a commutative ring as the ring of functions on a space. The starting point is the Nullstellensatz, which provides a close link between the geometry of a variety V and the algebra of its coordinate ring A=k[V]; however, many of the geometric ideas arising from varieties apply also to fairly general rings. The final chapter relates the material of the book to more advanced topics in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. It includes an account of some famous 'pathological' examples of Akizuki and Nagata, and a brief but thought-provoking essay on the changing position of abstract algebra in today's world.

This text on analysis of Riemannian manifolds is a thorough introduction to topics covered in advanced research monographs on Atiyah-Singer index theory. The main theme is the study of heat flow associated to the Laplacians on differential forms. This provides a unified treatment of Hodge theory and the supersymmetric proof of the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet theorem. In particular, there is a careful treatment of the heat kernel for the Laplacian on functions. The Atiyah-Singer index theorem and its applications are developed (without complete proofs) via the heat equation method. Zeta functions for Laplacians and analytic torsion are also treated, and the recently uncovered relation between index theory and analytic torsion is laid out. The text is aimed at students who have had a first course in differentiable manifolds, and the Riemannian geometry used is developed from the beginning. There are over 100 exercises with hints.

Potential theory is the broad area of mathematical analysis encompassing such topics as harmonic and subharmonic functions, the Dirichlet problem, harmonic measure, Green's functions, potentials and capacity. This is an introduction to the subject suitable for beginning graduate students, concentrating on the important case of two dimensions. This permits a simpler treatment than other books, yet is still sufficient for a wide range of applications to complex analysis; these include Picard's theorem, the Phragmén-Lindelöf principle, the Koebe one-quarter mapping theorem and a sharp quantitative form of Runge's theorem. In addition there is a chapter on connections with functional analysis and dynamical systems, which shows how the theory can be applied to other parts of mathematics, and gives a flavour of some recent research. Exercises are provided throughout, enabling the book to be used with advanced courses on complex analysis or potential theory.

This text on analysis of Riemannian manifolds is a thorough introduction to topics covered in advanced research monographs on Atiyah-Singer index theory. The main theme is the study of heat flow associated to the Laplacians on differential forms. This provides a unified treatment of Hodge theory and the supersymmetric proof of the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet theorem. In particular, there is a careful treatment of the heat kernel for the Laplacian on functions. The Atiyah-Singer index theorem and its applications are developed (without complete proofs) via the heat equation method. Zeta functions for Laplacians and analytic torsion are also treated, and the recently uncovered relation between index theory and analytic torsion is laid out. The text is aimed at students who have had a first course in differentiable manifolds, and the Riemannian geometry used is developed from the beginning. There are over 100 exercises with hints.

Developed over more than a century, and still an active area of research today, the classification of algebraic surfaces is an intricate and fascinating branch of mathematics. In this book Professor Beauville gives a lucid and concise account of the subject, following the strategy of F. Enriques, but expressed simply in the language of modern topology and sheaf theory, so as to be accessible to any budding geometer. This volume is self contained and the exercises succeed both in giving the flavour of the extraordinary wealth of examples in the classical subject, and in equipping the reader with most of the techniques needed for research.

In this excellent introduction to the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, three of the leading figures in this area have written up their lectures from an LMS/SERC sponsored short course in 1993. Together these lectures provide an elementary account of the theory that is unsurpassed. In the first part Roger Carter concentrates on Lie algebras and root systems. In the second Graeme Segal discusses Lie groups. And in the final part, Ian Macdonald gives an introduction to special linear groups. Anybody requiring an introduction to the theory of Lie groups and their applications should look no further than this book.

Linear systems can be regarded as a causal shift-invariant operator on a Hilbert space of signals, and by doing so this book presents an introduction to the common ground between operator theory and linear systems theory. The book therefore includes material on pure mathematical topics such as Hardy spaces, closed operators, the gap metric, semigroups, shift-invariant subspaces, the commutant lifting theorem and almost-periodic functions, which would be entirely suitable for a course in functional analysis; at the same time, the book includes applications to partial differential equations, to the stability and stabilization of linear systems, to power signal spaces (including some recent material not previously available in books), and to delay systems, treated from an input/output point of view. Suitable for students of analysis, this book also acts as an introduction to a mathematical approach to systems and control for graduate students in departments of applied mathematics or engineering.

There has been a resurgence of interest in classical invariant theory driven by several factors: new theoretical developments; a revival of computational methods coupled with powerful new computer algebra packages; and a wealth of new applications, ranging from number theory to geometry, physics to computer vision. This book provides readers with a self-contained introduction to the classical theory as well as modern developments and applications. The text concentrates on the study of binary forms (polynomials) in characteristic zero, and uses analytical as well as algebraic tools to study and classify invariants, symmetry, equivalence and canonical forms. It also includes a variety of innovations that make this text of interest even to veterans of the subject. Aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students the book includes many exercises and historical details, complete proofs of the fundamental theorems, and a lively and provocative exposition.

The aim of this book is to develop the combinatorics of Young tableaux and to show them in action in the algebra of symmetric functions, representations of the symmetric and general linear groups, and the geometry of flag varieties. The first part of the book is a self-contained presentation of the basic combinatorics of Young tableaux, including the remarkable constructions of 'bumping' and 'sliding', and several interesting correspondences. In Part II these results are used to study representations with geometry on Grassmannians and flag manifolds, including their Schubert subvarieties, and the related Schubert polynomials. Much of this material has never appeared in book form.There are numerous exercises throughout, with hints or answers provided. Researchers in representation theory and algebraic geometry as well as in combinatorics will find Young Tableaux interesting and useful; students will find the intuitive presentation easy to follow.

This book presents a mathematical introduction to the theory of orthogonal wavelets and their uses in analysing functions and function spaces, both in one and in several variables. Starting with a detailed and self contained discussion of the general construction of one dimensional wavelets from multiresolution analysis, the book presents in detail the most important wavelets: spline wavelets, Meyer's wavelets and wavelets with compact support. It then moves to the corresponding multivariable theory and gives genuine multivariable examples. Wavelet decompositions in Lp spaces, Hardy spaces and Besov spaces are discussed and wavelet characterisations of those spaces are provided. Also included are some additional topics like periodic wavelets or wavelets not associated with a multiresolution analysis. This will be an invaluable book for those wishing to learn about the mathematical foundations of wavelets.

Harmonic maps are generalisations of the concept of geodesics. They encompass many fundamental examples in differential geometry and have recently become of widespread use in many areas of mathematics and mathematical physics. This is an accessible introduction to some of the fundamental connections between differential geometry, Lie groups, and integrable Hamiltonian systems. The specific goal of the book is to show how the theory of loop groups can be used to study harmonic maps. By concentrating on the main ideas and examples, the author leads up to topics of current research. The book is suitable for students who are beginning to study manifolds and Lie groups, and should be of interest both to mathematicians and to theoretical physicists.

The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to combinatorial group theory. Any reader who has completed first courses in linear algebra, group theory and ring theory will find this book accessible. The emphasis is on computational techniques but rigorous proofs of all theorems are supplied. This new edition has been revised throughout, including new exercises and an additional chapter on proving that certain groups are infinite.

Harmonic maps are generalisations of the concept of geodesics. They encompass many fundamental examples in differential geometry and have recently become of widespread use in many areas of mathematics and mathematical physics. This is an accessible introduction to some of the fundamental connections between differential geometry, Lie groups, and integrable Hamiltonian systems. The specific goal of the book is to show how the theory of loop groups can be used to study harmonic maps. By concentrating on the main ideas and examples, the author leads up to topics of current research. The book is suitable for students who are beginning to study manifolds and Lie groups, and should be of interest both to mathematicians and to theoretical physicists.

Beginning with a brief introduction to algorithms and diophantine equations, this volume aims to provide a coherent account of the methods used to find all the solutions to certain diophantine equations, particularly those procedures which have been developed for use on a computer. The study is divided into three parts, the emphasis throughout being on examining approaches with a wide range of applications. The first section considers basic techniques including local methods, sieving, descent arguments and the LLL algorithm. The second section explores problems which can be solved using Baker's theory of linear forms in logarithms. The final section looks at problems associated with curves, mainly focusing on rational and integral points on elliptic curves. Each chapter concludes with a useful set of exercises. A detailed bibliography is included. This book will appeal to graduate students and research workers, with a basic knowledge of number theory, who are interested in solving diophantine equations using computational methods.

The focus of this book is the study of the noncommutative aspects of rings and modules, and the style will make it accessible to anyone with a background in basic abstract algebra. Features of interest include an early introduction of projective and injective modules; a module theoretic approach to the Jacobson radical and the Artin-Wedderburn theorem; the use of Baer's criterion for injectivity to prove the structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain; and applications of the general theory to the representation theory of finite groups. Optional material includes a section on modules over the Weyl algebras and a section on Goldie's theorem. When compared to other more encyclopedic texts, the sharp focus of this book accommodates students meeting this material for the first time. It can be used as a first-year graduate text or as a reference for advanced undergraduates.

This introductory account of commutative algebra is aimed at advanced undergraduates and first year graduate students. Assuming only basic abstract algebra, it provides a good foundation in commutative ring theory, from which the reader can proceed to more advanced works in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. The style throughout is rigorous but concrete, with exercises and examples given within chapters, and hints provided for the more challenging problems used in the subsequent development. After reminders about basic material on commutative rings, ideals and modules are extensively discussed, with applications including to canonical forms for square matrices. The core of the book discusses the fundamental theory of commutative Noetherian rings. Affine algebras over fields, dimension theory and regular local rings are also treated, and for this second edition two further chapters, on regular sequences and Cohen-Macaulay rings, have been added. This book is ideal as a route into commutative algebra.

Permutation groups are one of the oldest topics in algebra. However, their study has recently been revolutionised by new developments, particularly the classification of finite simple groups, but also relations with logic and combinatorics, and importantly, computer algebra systems have been introduced that can deal with large permutation groups. This book gives a summary of these developments, including an introduction to relevant computer algebra systems, sketch proofs of major theorems, and many examples of applying the classification of finite simple groups. It is aimed at beginning graduate students and experts in other areas, and grew from a short course at the EIDMA institute in Eindhoven.

At first glance the prime numbers appear to be distributed in a very irregular way amongst the integers, but it is possible to produce a simple formula that tells us (in an approximate but well defined sense) how many primes we can expect to find that are less than any integer we might choose. The prime number theorem tells us what this formula is and it is indisputably one of the great classical theorems of mathematics. This textbook gives an introduction to the prime number theorem suitable for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. The author's aim is to show the reader how the tools of analysis can be used in number theory to attack a 'real' problem, and it is based on his own experiences of teaching this material.

The interplay between algebra and geometry is a beautiful (and fun!) area of mathematical investigation. Advances in computing and algorithms make it possible to tackle many classical problems in a down-to-earth and concrete fashion. This opens wonderful new vistas and allows us to pose, study and solve problems that were previously out of reach. Suitable for graduate students, the objective of this 2003 book is to bring advanced algebra to life with lots of examples. The first chapters provide an introduction to commutative algebra and connections to geometry. The rest of the book focuses on three active areas of contemporary algebra: Homological Algebra (the snake lemma, long exact sequence inhomology, functors and derived functors (Tor and Ext), and double complexes); Algebraic Combinatorics and Algebraic Topology (simplicial complexes and simplicial homology, Stanley-Reisner rings, upper bound theorem and polytopes); and Algebraic Geometry (points and curves in projective space, Riemann-Roch, Cech cohomology, regularity).

This 2003 book describes a striking connection between topology and algebra, namely that 2D topological quantum field theories are equivalent to commutative Frobenius algebras. The precise formulation of the theorem and its proof is given in terms of monoidal categories, and the main purpose of the book is to develop these concepts from an elementary level, and more generally serve as an introduction to categorical viewpoints in mathematics. Rather than just proving the theorem, it is shown how the result fits into a more general pattern concerning universal monoidal categories for algebraic structures. Throughout, the emphasis is on the interplay between algebra and topology, with graphical interpretation of algebraic operations, and topological structures described algebraically in terms of generators and relations. The book will prove valuable to students or researchers entering this field who will learn a host of modern techniques that will prove useful for future work.