Sigurdur Helgason - Böcker

The Radon transform is an important topic in integral geometry which deals with the problem of expressing a function on a manifold in terms of its integrals over certain submanifolds. Solutions to such problems have a wide range of applications, namely to partial differential equations, group representations, X-ray technology, nuclear magnetic resonance scanning, and tomography. This second edition, significantly expanded and updated, presents new material taking into account some of the progress made in the field since 1980.The first chapter introduces the Radon transform and presents new material on the d-plane transform and applications to the wave equation. Chapter 2 places the Radon transform in a general framework of integral geometry known as a double fibration of a homogeneous space. Several significant examples are developed in detail. Two subsequent chapters treat some specific examples of generalized Radon transforms, for examples, antipodal manifold in compact 2-points homogeneous spaces, and orbital integrals in isotropic Lorentzian manifolds. A final chapter deals with Fourier transforms and distributions, developing all the tools needed in the work.Aimed at beginning graduate students, this monograph will be useful in the classroom or as a resource for self-study. Readers will find here an accessible introduction to Radon transform theory, an elegant topic in integral geometry.

Group-theoretic methods have taken an increasingly prominent role in analysis. Some of this change has been due to the writings of Sigurdur Helgason. This book is an introduction to such methods on spaces with symmetry given by the action of a Lie group. The introductory chapter is a self-contained account of the analysis on surfaces of constant curvature. Later chapters cover general cases of the Radon transform, spherical functions, invariant operators, compact symmetric spaces and other topics. This book, together with its companion volume, Geometric Analysis on Symmetric Spaces (AMS Mathematical Surveys and Monographs series, vol. 39, 1994), has become the standard text for this approach to geometric analysis. Sigurdur Helgason was awarded the Steele Prize for outstanding mathematical exposition for Groups and Geometric Analysis and Differential Geometry, Lie Groups and Symmetric Spaces.

In this text, integral geometry deals with Radon’s problem of representing a function on a manifold in terms of its integrals over certain submanifolds—hence the term the Radon transform. Examples and far-reaching generalizations lead to fundamental problems such as: (i) injectivity, (ii) inversion formulas, (iii) support questions, (iv) applications (e.g., to tomography, partial di  erential equations and group representations). For the case of the plane, the inversion theorem and the support theorem have had major applications in medicine through tomography and CAT scanning. While containing some recent research, the book is aimed at beginning graduate students for classroom use or self-study. A number of exercises point to further results with documentation. From the reviews: “Integral Geometry is a fascinating area, where numerous branches of mathematics meet together. the contents of the book is concentrated around the duality and double vibration, which is realized through the masterful treatment of a variety of examples. the book is written by an expert, who has made fundamental contributions to the area.” —Boris Rubin, Louisiana State University

Sigurdur Helgason's Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces was quickly recognized as a remarkable and important book. For many years, it was the standard text both for Riemannian geometry and for the analysis and geometry of symmetric spaces. Several generations of mathematicians relied on it for its clarity and careful attention to detail. Although much has happened in the field since the publication of this book, as demonstrated by Helgason's own three-volume expansion of the original work, this single volume is still an excellent overview of the subjects. For instance, even though there are now many competing texts, the chapters on differential geometry and Lie groups continue to be among the best treatments of the subjects available. There is also a well-developed treatment of Cartan's classification and structure theory of symmetric spaces. The last chapter, on functions on symmetric spaces, remains an excellent introduction to the study of spherical functions, the theory of invariant differential operators, and other topics in harmonic analysis. This text is rightly called a classic.

This book gives the first systematic exposition of geometric analysis on Riemannian symmetric spaces and its relationship to the representation theory of Lie groups. The book starts with modern integral geometry for double fibrations and treats several examples in detail. After discussing the theory of Radon transforms and Fourier transforms on symmetric spaces, inversion formulas, and range theorems, Helgason examines applications to invariant differential equations on symmetric spaces, existence theorems, and explicit solution formulas, particularly potential theory and wave equations. The canonical multitemporal wave equation on a symmetric space is included. The book concludes with a chapter on eigenspace representations-that is, representations on solution spaces of invariant differential equations. Known for his high-quality expositions, Helgason received the 1988 Steele Prize for his earlier books Differential Geometry, Lie Groups and Symmetric Spaces and Groups and Geometric Analysis. Containing exercises (with solutions) and references to further results, this revised edition would be suitable for advanced graduate courses in modern integral geometry, analysis on Lie groups, and representation theory of Lie groups.

A great book ... a necessary item in any mathematical library"" -S. S. Chern, University of California ""A brilliant book: rigorous, tightly organized, and covering a vast amount of good mathematics."" -Barrett O'Neill, University of California""This is obviously a very valuable and well thought-out book on an important subject"" -Andre Weil, Institute for Advanced Study The study of homogeneous spaces provides excellent insights into both differential geometry and Lie groups. In geometry, for instance, general theorems and properties will also hold for homogeneous spaces, and will usually be easier to understand and to prove in this setting. For Lie groups, a significant amount of analysis either begins with or reduces to analysis on homogeneous spaces, frequently on symmetric spaces. For many years and for many mathematicians, Sigurdur Helgason's classic Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces has been-and continues to be-the standard source for this material. Helgason begins with a concise, self-contained introduction to differential geometry. Next is a careful treatment of the foundations of the theory of Lie groups, presented in a manner that since 1962 has served as a model to a number of subsequent authors. This sets the stage for the introduction and study of symmetric spaces, which form the central part of the book. The text concludes with the classification of symmetric spaces by means of the Killing-Cartan classification of simple Lie algebras over $\mathbb{C}$ and Cartan's classification of simple Lie algebras over $\mathbb{R}$, following a method of Victor Kac. The excellent exposition is supplemented by extensive collections of useful exercises at the end of each chapter. All of the problems have either solutions or substantial hints, found at the back of the book. For this edition, the author has made corrections and added helpful notes and useful references. Sigurdur Helgason was awarded the Steele Prize for Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces and Groups and Geometric Analysis.

The first edition of this book has been out of print for some time and I have decided to follow the publisher's kind suggestion to prepare a new edition. Many examples with explicit inversion formulas and range theo­ rems have been added, and the group-theoretic viewpoint emphasized. For example, the integral geometric viewpoint of the Poisson integral for the disk leads to interesting analogies with the X-ray transform in Euclidean 3-space. To preserve the introductory flavor of the book the short and self-contained Chapter Von Schwartz' distributions has been added. Here §5 provides proofs of the needed results about the Riesz potentials while §§3-4 develop the tools from Fourier analysis following closely the account in Hormander's books (1963] and [1983]. There is some overlap with my books (1984] and [1994b] which however rely heavily on Lie group theory. The present book is much more elementary. I am indebted to Sine Jensen for a critical reading of parts of the manuscript and to Hilgert and Schlichtkrull for concrete contributions men­ tioned at specific places in the text. Finally I thank Jan Wetzel and Bonnie Friedman for their patient and skillful preparation of the manuscript.

In this text, integral geometry deals with Radon’s problem of representing a function on a manifold in terms of its integrals over certain submanifolds—hence the term the Radon transform. Examples and far-reaching generalizations lead to fundamental problems such as: (i) injectivity, (ii) inversion formulas, (iii) support questions, (iv) applications (e.g., to tomography, partial di  erential equations and group representations). For the case of the plane, the inversion theorem and the support theorem have had major applications in medicine through tomography and CAT scanning. While containing some recent research, the book is aimed at beginning graduate students for classroom use or self-study. A number of exercises point to further results with documentation. From the reviews: “Integral Geometry is a fascinating area, where numerous branches of mathematics meet together. the contents of the book is concentrated around the duality and double vibration, which is realized through the masterful treatment of a variety of examples. the book is written by an expert, who has made fundamental contributions to the area.” —Boris Rubin, Louisiana State University