Vladimir Dotsenko - Böcker

Algebraic Operads: An Algorithmic Companion presents a systematic treatment of Gröbner bases in several contexts. The book builds up to the theory of Gröbner bases for operads due to the second author and Khoroshkin as well as various applications of the corresponding diamond lemmas in algebra. The authors present a variety of topics including: noncommutative Gröbner bases and their applications to the construction of universal enveloping algebras; Gröbner bases for shuffle algebras which can be used to solve questions about combinatorics of permutations; and operadic Gröbner bases, important for applications to algebraic topology, and homological and homotopical algebra. The last chapters of the book combine classical commutative Gröbner bases with operadic ones to approach some classification problems for operads. Throughout the book, both the mathematical theory and computational methods are emphasized and numerous algorithms, examples, and exercises are provided to clarify and illustrate the concrete meaning of abstract theory.

Covering an exceptional range of topics, this text provides a unique overview of the Maurer-Cartan methods in algebra, geometry, topology, and mathematical physics. It offers a new conceptual treatment of the twisting procedure, guiding the reader through various versions with the help of plentiful motivating examples for graduate students as well as researchers. Topics covered include a novel approach to the twisting procedure for operads leading to Kontsevich graph homology and a description of the twisting procedure for (homotopy) associative algebras or (homotopy) Lie algebras using the biggest deformation gauge group ever considered. The book concludes with concise surveys of recent applications in areas including higher category theory and deformation theory.

The Cargese Workshop "Quantum Field Theory and String Theory" was held from May 10 to May 21, 1993. The broad spectrum of the work presented at the Workshop was the reflec­ tion of a time of intensive search for new ways of solving some of the most fun­ damental problems in string theory, quantum gravity and non-perturbative field theory. A number of talks indicated the emergence of new promising domains of investigation. It is this very diversity of topics which, in our opinion, represents one of the most attractive features of the present volume which we hope will provide a good orientation in the abundant flow of ideas and publications in modern quantum field theory. Many contributions to the present proceedings are concerned with two di­ mensional quantum field theory. The continuous advances in the domain of two dimensional integrable theories on the lattice as well as in the continuum, including conformal field theories, Liouville field theory and matrix models of two dimensional quantum gravity are very well represented. Other papers address physically realistic (and therefore very complicated) problems like de­ veloped turbulence, the Hofstadter problem, higher dimensional gravity and phenomenological strings. A new elegant class of topological field theories is presented. New ideas in the string representation of multicolor quantum chromo dynamics were widely discussed at the Workshop, more particularly the example of the exactly solvable two dimensional case.