About ten years ago, V.D. Goppa found a surprising connection between the theory of algebraic curves over a finite field and error-correcting codes. The aim of the meeting "Algebraic Geometry and Coding Theory" was to give a survey on the present state of research in this field and related topics. The proceedings contain research papers on several aspects of the theory, among them: Codes constructed from special curves and from higher-dimensional varieties, Decoding of algebraic geometric codes, Trace codes, Exponen- tial sums, Fast multiplication in finite fields, Asymptotic number of points on algebraic curves, Sphere packings.

This volume contains three long lecture series by J.L. Colliot-Thelene, Kazuya Kato and P. Vojta. Their topics are respectively the connection between algebraic K-theory and the torsion algebraic cycles on an algebraic variety, a new approach to Iwasawa theory for Hasse-Weil L-function, and the applications of arithemetic geometry to Diophantine approximation. They contain many new results at a very advanced level, but also surveys of the state of the art on the subject with complete, detailed profs and a lot of background. Hence they can be useful to readers with very different background and experience. CONTENTS: J.L. Colliot-Thelene: Cycles algebriques de torsion et K-theorie algebrique.- K. Kato: Lectures on the approach to Iwasawa theory for Hasse-Weil L-functions.- P. Vojta: Applications of arithmetic algebraic geometry to diophantine approximations.

A workshop on Singularities, Bifurcation and Dynamics was held at Warwick in July 1989 as part of a year-long symposium on Singularity Theory and its applications. The proceedings fall into two halves: Volume I mainly on connections with algebraic geometry and volume II on connections with dynamical systems theory, bifurcation theory, and applications in the sciences. The papers are orginal research, stimulated by the symposium and workshops: All have been refereed, and none will appear elsewhere. The main topic, deformation theory, is represented by several papers on descriptions of the bases of versal deformations, and several more on descriptions of the generic fibres. Other topics include stratifications, and applications to differential geometry.

Abelian varieties are a natural generalization of elliptic curves to higher dimensions, whose geometry and classification are as rich in elegant results as in the one-dimensional ease. The use of theta functions, particularly since Mumford's work, has been an important tool in the study of abelian varieties and invertible sheaves on them. Also, abelian varieties play a significant role in the geometric approach to modern algebraic number theory. In this book, Kempf has focused on the analytic aspects of the geometry of abelian varieties, rather than taking the alternative algebraic or arithmetic points of view. His purpose is to provide an introduction to complex analytic geometry. Thus, he uses Hermitian geometry as much as possible. One distinguishing feature of Kempf's presentation is the systematic use of Mumford's theta group. This allows him to give precise results about the projective ideal of an abelian variety. In its detailed discussion of the cohomology of invertible sheaves, the book incorporates material previously found only in research articles. Also, several examples where abelian varieties arise in various branches of geometry are given as a conclusion of the book.

The book explores the possibility of extending the notions of "Grassmannian" and "Gauss map" to the PL category. They are distinguished from "classifying space" and "classifying map" which are essentially homotopy-theoretic notions. The analogs of Grassmannian and Gauss map defined incorporate geometric and combinatorial information. Principal applications involve characteristic class theory, smoothing theory, and the existence of immersion satifying certain geometric criteria, e.g. curvature conditions. The book assumes knowledge of basic differential topology and bundle theory, including Hirsch-Gromov-Phillips theory, as well as the analogous theories for the PL category. The work should be of interest to mathematicians concerned with geometric topology, PL and PD aspects of differential geometry and the geometry of polyhedra.

These proceedings include selected and refereed original papers; most are research papers, a few are comprehensive survey articles.

The main subjects of the Siegen Topology Symposium are reflected in this collection of 16 research and expository papers. They center around differential topology and, more specifically, around linking phenomena in 3, 4 and higher dimensions, tangent fields, immersions and other vector bundle morphisms. Manifold categories, K-theory and group actions are also discussed.

All papers appearing in this volume are original research articles and have not been published elsewhere. They meet the requirements that are necessary for publication in a good quality primary journal. E.Belchev, S.Hineva: On the minimal hypersurfaces of a locally symmetric manifold. -N.Blasic, N.Bokan, P.Gilkey: The spectral geometry of the Laplacian and the conformal Laplacian for manifolds with boundary. -J.Bolton, W.M.Oxbury, L.Vrancken, L.M. Woodward: Minimal immersions of RP2 into CPn. -W.Cieslak, A. Miernowski, W.Mozgawa: Isoptics of a strictly convex curve. -F.Dillen, L.Vrancken: Generalized Cayley surfaces. -A.Ferrandez, O.J.Garay, P.Lucas: On a certain class of conformally flat Euclidean hypersurfaces. -P.Gauduchon: Self-dual manifolds with non-negative Ricci operator. -B.Hajduk: On the obstruction group toexistence of Riemannian metrics of positive scalar curvature. -U.Hammenstaedt: Compact manifolds with 1/4-pinched negative curvature. -J.Jost, Xiaowei Peng: The geometry of moduli spaces of stable vector bundles over Riemannian surfaces. - O.Kowalski, F.Tricerri: A canonical connection for locally homogeneous Riemannian manifolds. -M.Kozlowski: Some improper affine spheres in A3. -R.Kusner: A maximum principle at infinity and the topology of complete embedded surfaces with constant mean curvature. -Anmin Li: Affine completeness and Euclidean completeness. -U.Lumiste: On submanifolds with parallel higher order fundamental form in Euclidean spaces. -A.Martinez, F.Milan: Convex affine surfaces with constant affine mean curvature. -M.Min-Oo, E.A.Ruh, P.Tondeur: Transversal curvature and tautness for Riemannian foliations. -S.Montiel, A.Ros: Schroedinger operators associated to a holomorphic map. -D.Motreanu: Generic existence of Morse functions on infinite dimensional Riemannian manifolds and applications. -B.Opozda: Some extensions of Radon's theorem.

This book establishes the basic function theory and complex geometry of Riemann surfaces, both open and compact. Many of the methods used in the book are adaptations and simplifications of methods from the theories of several complex variables and complex analytic geometry and would serve as excellent training for mathematicians wanting to work in complex analytic geometry. After three introductory chapters, the book embarks on its central, and certainly most novel, goal of studying Hermitian holomorphic line bundles and their sections. Among other things, finite-dimensionality of spaces of sections of holomorphic line bundles of compact Riemann surfaces and the triviality of holomorphic line bundles over Riemann surfaces are proved, with various applications. Perhaps the main result of the book is Hoermander's Theorem on the square-integrable solution of the Cauchy-Riemann equations. The crowning application is the proof of the Kodaira and Narasimhan Embedding Theorems for compact and open Riemann surfaces. The intended reader has had first courses in real and complex analysis, as well as advanced calculus and basic differential topology (though the latter subject is not crucial). As such, the book should appeal to a broad portion of the mathematical and scientific community.

"A very valuable book. In little over 200 pages, it presents a well-organized and surprisingly comprehensive treatment of most of the basic material in differential topology, as far as is accessible without the methods of algebraic topology....There is an abundance of exercises, which supply many beautiful examples and much interesting additional information, and help the reader to become thoroughly familiar with the material of the main text." -MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS