The Abel Symposium 2009 "Combinatorial aspects of Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry," held at Voss, Norway, featured talks by leading researchers in the field.

This is the proceedings of the Symposium, presenting contributions on syzygies, tropical geometry, Boij-Soderberg theory, Schubert calculus, and quiver varieties. The volume also includes an introductory survey on binomial ideals with applications to hypergeometric series, combinatorial games and chemical reactions.

The contributions pose interesting problems, and offer up-to-date research on some of the most active fields of commutative algebra and algebraic geometry with a combinatorial flavour.

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The goal in putting together this unique compilation was to present the current status of the solutions to some of the most essential open problems in pure and applied mathematics. Emphasis is also given to problems in interdisciplinary research for which mathematics plays a key role. This volume comprises highly selected contributions by some of the most eminent mathematicians in the international mathematical community on longstanding problems in very active domains of mathematical research. A joint preface by the two volume editors is followed by a personal farewell to John F. Nash, Jr. written by Michael Th. Rassias. An introduction by Mikhail Gromov highlights some of Nash's legendary mathematical achievements. The treatment in this book includes open problems in the following fields: algebraic geometry, number theory, analysis, discrete mathematics, PDEs, differential geometry, topology, K-theory, game theory, fluid mechanics, dynamical systems and ergodic theory, cryptography, theoretical computer science, and more. Extensive discussions surrounding the progress made for each problem are designed to reach a wide community of readers, from graduate students and established research mathematicians to physicists, computer scientists, economists, and research scientists who are looking to develop essential and modern new methods and theories to solve a variety of open problems.

This book is an introduction to the mathematical theory of design for articulated mechanical systems known as linkages. The focus is on sizing mechanical constraints that guide the movement of a work piece, or end-effector, of the system. The function of the device is prescribed as a set of positions to be reachable by the end-effector; and the mechanical constraints are formed by joints that limit relative movement. The goal is to find all the devices that can achieve a specific task. Formulated in this way the design problem is purely geometric in character. Robot manipulators, walking machines, and mechanical hands are examples of articulated mechanical systems that rely on simple mechanical constraints to provide a complex workspace for the end- effector. The principles presented in this book form the foundation for a design theory for these devices. The emphasis, however, is on articulated systems with fewer degrees of freedom than that of the typical robotic system, and therefore, less complexity. This book will be useful to mathematics, engineering and computer science departments teaching courses on mathematical modeling of robotics and other articulated mechanical systems.

This new edition includes research results of the past decade on the synthesis of multi loop planar and spherical linkages, and the use of homotopy methods and Clifford algebras in the synthesis of spatial serial chains. One new chapter on the synthesis of spatial serial chains introduces numerical homotopy and the linear product decomposition of polynomial systems. The second new chapter introduces the Clifford algebra formulation of the kinematics equations of serial chain robots. Examples are use throughout to demonstrate the theory."

This introductory textbook for a graduate course in pure mathematics provides a gateway into the two difficult fields of algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. Algebraic geometry, supported fundamentally by commutative algebra, is a cornerstone of pure mathematics.

Along the lines developed by Grothendieck, this book delves into the rich interplay between algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. A selection is made from the wealth of material in the discipline, along with concise yet clear definitions and synopses.

The second volume of the Geometry of Algebraic Curves is devoted to the foundations of the theory of moduli of algebraic curves. Its authors are research mathematicians who have actively participated in the development of the Geometry of Algebraic Curves. The subject is an extremely fertile and active one, both within the mathematical community and at the interface with the theoretical physics community. The approach is unique in its blending of algebro-geometric, complex analytic and topological/combinatorial methods. It treats important topics such as Teichm ller theory, the cellular decomposition of moduli and its consequences and the Witten conjecture. The careful and comprehensive presentation of the material is of value to students who wish to learn the subject and to experts as a reference source.

The first volume appeared 1985 as vol. 267 of the same series.

The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive account of higher dimensional Nevanlinna theory and its relations with Diophantine approximation theory for graduate students and interested researchers. This book with nine chapters systematically describes Nevanlinna theory of meromorphic maps between algebraic varieties or complex spaces, building up from the classical theory of meromorphic functions on the complex plane with full proofs in Chap. 1 to the current state of research. Chapter 2 presents the First Main Theorem for coherent ideal sheaves in a very general form. With the preparation of plurisubharmonic functions, how the theory to be generalized in a higher dimension is described. In Chap. 3 the Second Main Theorem for differentiably non-degenerate meromorphic maps by Griffiths and others is proved as a prototype of higher dimensional Nevanlinna theory. Establishing such a Second Main Theorem for entire curves in general complex algebraic varieties is a wide-open problem. In Chap. 4, the Cartan-Nochka Second Main Theorem in the linear projective case and the Logarithmic Bloch-Ochiai Theorem in the case of general algebraic varieties are proved. Then the theory of entire curves in semi-abelian varieties, including the Second Main Theorem of Noguchi-Winkelmann-Yamanoi, is dealt with in full details in Chap. 6. For that purpose Chap. 5 is devoted to the notion of semi-abelian varieties. The result leads to a number of applications. With these results, the Kobayashi hyperbolicity problems are discussed in Chap. 7. In the last two chapters Diophantine approximation theory is dealt with from the viewpoint of higher dimensional Nevanlinna theory, and the Lang-Vojta conjecture is confirmed in some cases. In Chap. 8 the theory over function fields is discussed. Finally, in Chap. 9, the theorems of Roth, Schmidt, Faltings, and Vojta over number fields are presented and formulated in view of Nevanlinna theory with results motivated by those in Chaps. 4, 6, and 7.

This book provides an overview of the latest developments concerning the moduli of K3 surfaces. It is aimed at algebraic geometers, but is also of interest to number theorists and theoretical physicists, and continues the tradition of related volumes like "The Moduli Space of Curves" and "Moduli of Abelian Varieties," which originated from conferences on the islands Texel and Schiermonnikoog and which have become classics. K3 surfaces and their moduli form a central topic in algebraic geometry and arithmetic geometry, and have recently attracted a lot of attention from both mathematicians and theoretical physicists. Advances in this field often result from mixing sophisticated techniques from algebraic geometry, lattice theory, number theory, and dynamical systems. The topic has received significant impetus due to recent breakthroughs on the Tate conjecture, the study of stability conditions and derived categories, and links with mirror symmetry and string theory. At the same time, the theory of irreducible holomorphic symplectic varieties, the higher dimensional analogues of K3 surfaces, has become a mainstream topic in algebraic geometry. Contributors: S. Boissiere, A. Cattaneo, I. Dolgachev, V. Gritsenko, B. Hassett, G. Heckman, K. Hulek, S. Katz, A. Klemm, S. Kondo, C. Liedtke, D. Matsushita, M. Nieper-Wisskirchen, G. Oberdieck, K. Oguiso, R. Pandharipande, S. Rieken, A. Sarti, I. Shimada, R. P. Thomas, Y. Tschinkel, A. Verra, C. Voisin.

This book consists of both expository and research articles solicited from speakers at the conference entitled "Arithmetic and Ideal Theory of Rings and Semigroups," held September 22-26, 2014 at the University of Graz, Graz, Austria. It reflects recent trends in multiplicative ideal theory and factorization theory, and brings together for the first time in one volume both commutative and non-commutative perspectives on these areas, which have their roots in number theory, commutative algebra, and algebraic geometry. Topics discussed include topological aspects in ring theory, Prufer domains of integer-valued polynomials and their monadic submonoids, and semigroup algebras. It will be of interest to practitioners of mathematics and computer science, and researchers in multiplicative ideal theory, factorization theory, number theory, and algebraic geometry.

In recent years there has been enormous activity in the theory of algebraic curves. Many long-standing problems have been solved using the general techniques developed in algebraic geometry during the 1950's and 1960's. Additionally, unexpected and deep connections between algebraic curves and differential equations have been uncovered, and these in turn shed light on other classical problems in curve theory. It seems fair to say that the theory of algebraic curves looks completely different now from how it appeared 15 years ago; in particular, our current state of knowledge repre sents a significant advance beyond the legacy left by the classical geometers such as Noether, Castelnuovo, Enriques, and Severi. These books give a presentation of one of the central areas of this recent activity; namely, the study of linear series on both a fixed curve (Volume I) and on a variable curve (Volume II). Our goal is to give a comprehensive and self-contained account of the extrinsic geometry of algebraic curves, which in our opinion constitutes the main geometric core of the recent advances in curve theory. Along the way we shall, of course, discuss appli cations of the theory of linear series to a number of classical topics (e.g., the geometry of the Riemann theta divisor) as well as to some of the current research (e.g., the Kodaira dimension of the moduli space of curves)."

Digital geometry emerged as an independent discipline in the second half of the last century. It deals with geometric properties of digital objects and is developed with the unambiguous goal to provide rigorous theoretical foundations for devising new advanced approaches and algorithms for various problems of visual computing. Different aspects of digital geometry have been addressed in the literature. This book is the first one that explicitly focuses on the presentation of the most important digital geometry algorithms. Each chapter provides a brief survey on a major research area related to the general volume theme, description and analysis of related fundamental algorithms, as well as new original contributions by the authors. Every chapter contains a section in which interesting open problems are addressed.

This book is an extensive monograph on Sasakian manifolds , focusing on the intricate relationship between Kahler and Sasakian geometries. The subject is introduced by discussion of several background topics, including the theory of Riemannian foliations, compact complex and Kahler orbifolds, and the existence and and obstruction theory of Kahler-Einstein metrics on complex compact orbifolds. There is then a discussion of contact and almost contact structures in the Riemannian setting, in which compact quasi-regular Sasakian manifolds emerge as algebraic objects. There is an extensive discussion of the symmetries of Sasakian manifolds, leading to a study of Sasakian structures on links of isolated hypersurface singularities. This is followed by an in-depth study of compact sasakian manifolds in dimensions three and five. The final section of the book deals with the existence of Sasaki-Einstein metrics. 3-Sasakian manifolds and the role of sasakian-Einstein geometry in String Theory are discussed separately.

This is the first graduate textbook on the algorithmic aspects of real algebraic geometry. The main ideas and techniques presented form a coherent and rich body of knowledge. Mathematicians will find relevant information about the algorithmic aspects. Researchers in computer science and engineering will find the required mathematical background. Being self-contained the book is accessible to graduate students and even, for invaluable parts of it, to undergraduate students. This second edition contains several recent results on discriminants of symmetric matrices and other relevant topics.

Traditionally a subject of number theory, continued fractions appear in dynamical systems, algebraic geometry, topology, and even celestial mechanics. The rise of computational geometry has resulted in renewed interest in multidimensional generalizations of continued fractions. Numerous classical theorems have been extended to the multidimensional case, casting light on phenomena in diverse areas of mathematics. This book introduces a new geometric vision of continued fractions. It covers several applications to questions related to such areas as Diophantine approximation, algebraic number theory, and toric geometry. The reader will find an overview of current progress in the geometric theory of multidimensional continued fractions accompanied by currently open problems. Whenever possible, we illustrate geometric constructions with figures and examples. Each chapter has exercises useful for undergraduate or graduate courses.

From the reviews: "This volume... consists of two papers. The first, written by V.V. Shokurov, is devoted to the theory of Riemann surfaces and algebraic curves. It is an excellent overview of the theory of relations between Riemann surfaces and their models - complex algebraic curves in complex projective spaces. ... The second paper, written by V.I. Danilov, discusses algebraic varieties and schemes. ... I can recommend the book as a very good introduction to the basic algebraic geometry." "European Mathematical Society" "Newsletter, 1996"
..". To sum up, this book helps to learn algebraic geometry in a short time, its concrete style is enjoyable for students and reveals the beauty of mathematics." Acta Scientiarum Mathematicarum

This second edition is a corrected and extended version of the first. It is a textbook for students, as well as a reference book for the working mathematician, on cohomological topics in number theory. In all it is a virtually complete treatment of a vast array of central topics in algebraic number theory. New material is introduced here on duality theorems for unramified and tamely ramified extensions as well as a careful analysis of 2-extensions of real number fields.

Mathematical algorithms are a fundamental component of Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. This book provides a bridge between algebraic geometry and geometric modelling algorithms, formulated within a computer science framework. Apart from the algebraic geometry topics covered, the entire book is based on the unifying concept of using algebraic techniques - properly specialized to solve geometric problems - to seriously improve accuracy, robustness and efficiency of CAD-systems. It provides new approaches as well as industrial applications to deform surfaces when animating virtual characters, to automatically compare images of handwritten signatures and to improve control of NC machines. This book further introduces a noteworthy representation based on 2D contours, which is essential to model the metal sheet in industrial processes. It additionally reviews applications of numerical algebraic geometry to differential equations systems with multiple solutions and bifurcations. Future Vision and Trends on Shapes, Geometry and Algebra is aimed specialists in the area of mathematics and computer science on the one hand and on the other hand at those who want to become familiar with the practical application of algebraic geometry and geometric modelling such as students, researchers and doctorates.

Recent advances in both the theory and implementation of computational algebraic geometry have led to new, striking applications to a variety of fields of research. The articles in this volume highlight a range of these applications and provide introductory material for topics covered in the IMA workshops on "Optimization and Control" and "Applications in Biology, Dynamics, and Statistics" held during the IMA year on Applications of Algebraic Geometry. The articles related to optimization and control focus on burgeoning use of semidefinite programming and moment matrix techniques in computational real algebraic geometry. The new direction towards a systematic study of non-commutative real algebraic geometry is well represented in the volume. Other articles provide an overview of the way computational algebra is useful for analysis of contingency tables, reconstruction of phylogenetic trees, and in systems biology. The contributions collected in this volume are accessible to non-experts, self-contained and informative; they quickly move towards cutting edge research in these areas, and provide a wealth of open problems for future research.

This book provides a quick access to computational tools for algebraic geometry, the mathematical discipline which handles solution sets of polynomial equations. Originating from a number of intense one week schools taught by the authors, the text is designed so as to provide a step by step introduction which enables the reader to get started with his own computational experiments right away. The authors present the basic concepts and ideas in a compact way.

The relation between mathematics and physics has a long history, in which the role of number theory and of other more abstract parts of mathematics has recently become more prominent.

More than ten years after a first meeting in 1989 between number theorists and physicists at the Centre de Physique des Houches, a second 2-week event focused on the broader interface of number theory, geometry, and physics.

This book is the result of that exciting meeting, and collects, in 2 volumes, extended versions of the lecture courses, followed by shorter texts on special topics, of eminent mathematicians and physicists.

The present volume has three parts: Random matrices, Zeta functions, Dynamical systems.

The companion volume is subtitled: On Conformal Field Theories, Discrete Groups and Renormalization and will be published in 2006 (Springer, 3-540-30307-3).

Geometric Modeling and Algebraic Geometry, though closely related, are traditionally represented by two almost disjoint scientific communities. Both fields deal with objects defined by algebraic equations, but the objects are studied in different ways. In 12 chapters written by leading experts, this book presents recent results which rely on the interaction of both fields. Some of these results have been obtained from a major European project in geometric modeling.

A group of Gerry Schwarz's colleagues and collaborators gathered at the Fields Institute in Toronto for a mathematical festschrift in honor of his 60th birthday. This volume is an outgrowth of that event, covering the wide range of mathematics to which Gerry Schwarz has either made fundamental contributions or stimulated others to pursue. The articles are a sampling of modern day algebraic geometry with associated group actions from its leading experts, with a particular focus on characteristic 0 and modular invariant theory.

Contributors:

M. Brion

A. Broer

D. Daigle

J. Elmer

P. Fleischmann

G. Freudenberg

D. Greb

P. Heinzner

A. Helminck

B. Kostant

H. Kraft

R. J. Shank

W. Traves

N. R. Wallach

D. Wehlau

Configurations can be studied from a graph-theoretical viewpoint via the so-called Levi graphs and lie at the heart of graphs, groups, surfaces, and geometries, all of which are very active areas of mathematical exploration. In this self-contained textbook, algebraic graph theory is used to introduce groups; topological graph theory is used to explore surfaces; and geometric graph theory is implemented to analyze incidence geometries. After a preview of configurations in Chapter 1, a concise introduction to graph theory is presented in Chapter 2, followed by a geometric introduction to groups in Chapter 3. Maps and surfaces are combinatorially treated in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 introduces the concept of incidence structure through vertex colored graphs, and the combinatorial aspects of classical configurations are studied. Geometric aspects, some historical remarks, references, and applications of classical configurations appear in the last chapter. With over two hundred illustrations, challenging exercises at the end of each chapter, a comprehensive bibliography, and a set of open problems, Configurations from a Graphical Viewpoint is well suited for a graduate graph theory course, an advanced undergraduate seminar, or a self-contained reference for mathematicians and researchers.

This proceedings book brings selected works from two conferences, the 2nd Brazil-Mexico Meeting on Singularity and the 3rd Northeastern Brazilian Meeting on Singularities, that were hold in Salvador, in July 2015. All contributions were carefully peer-reviewed and revised, and cover topics like Equisingularity, Topology and Geometry of Singularities, Topological Classification of Singularities of Mappings, and more. They were written by mathematicians from several countries, including Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Japan and the USA, on relevant topics on Theory of Singularity, such as studies on deformations, Milnor fibration, foliations, Catastrophe theory, and myriad applications. Open problems are also introduced, making this volume a must-read both for graduate students and active researchers in this field.

The first instances of deformation theory were given by Kodaira and Spencer for complex structures and by Gerstenhaber for associative algebras. Since then, deformation theory has been applied as a useful tool in the study of many other mathematical structures, and even today it plays an important role in many developments of modern mathematics.
This volume collects a few self-contained and peer-reviewed papers by experts which present up-to-date research topics in algebraic and motivic topology, quantum field theory, algebraic geometry, noncommutative geometry and the deformation theory of Poisson algebras. They originate from activities at the Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics and the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics in Bonn.

This book is an introduction to the theory of elliptic curves, ranging from its most elementary aspects to current research. The first part, which grew out of Tate's Haverford lectures, covers the elementary arithmetic theory of elliptic curves over the rationals. The next two chapters recast the arguments used in the proof of the Mordell theorem into the context of Galois cohomology and descent theory. This is followed by three chapters on the analytic theory of elliptic curves, including such topics as elliptic functions, theta functions, and modular functions. Next, the theory of endomorphisms and elliptic curves over infinite and local fields are discussed. The book then continues by providing a survey of results in the arithmetic theory, especially those related to the conjecture of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer. This new edition contains three new chapters which explore recent directions and extensions of the theory of elliptic curves and the addition of two new appendices. The first appendix, written by Stefan Theisan, examines the role of Calabi-Yau manifolds in string theory, while the second, by Otto Forster, discusses the use of elliptic curves in computing theory and coding theory. Dale Husemöller is a member of the faculty at the Max Planck Institute of Mathematics in Bonn.