Since the time of Lagrange and Euler, it has been well known that an understanding of algebraic curves can illuminate the picture of rigid bodies provided by classical mechanics. Many mathematicians have established a modern view of the role played by algebraic geometry in recent years. This book presents some of these modern techniques, which fall within the orbit of finite dimensional integrable systems. The main body of the text presents a rich assortment of methods and ideas from algebraic geometry prompted by classical mechanics, while in appendices the author describes general, abstract theory. She gives the methods a topological application, for the first time in book form, to the study of Liouville tori and their bifurcations.

Singularity theory is a broad subject with vague boundaries. It draws on many other areas of mathematics, and in turn has contributed to many areas both within and outside mathematics, in particular differential and algebraic geometry, knot theory, differential equations, bifurcation theory, Hamiltonian mechanics, optics, robotics and computer vision. This volume consists of two dozen articles from some of the best known figures in singularity theory, and it presents an up-to-date survey of research in this area.

Here is an introduction to plane algebraic curves from a geometric viewpoint, designed as a first text for undergraduates in mathematics, or for postgraduate and research workers in the engineering and physical sciences. The book is well illustrated and contains several hundred worked examples and exercises. From the familiar lines and conics of elementary geometry the reader proceeds to general curves in the real affine plane, with excursions to more general fields to illustrate applications, such as number theory. By adding points at infinity the affine plane is extended to the projective plane, yielding a natural setting for curves and providing a flood of illumination into the underlying geometry. A minimal amount of algebra leads to the famous theorem of Bezout, while the ideas of linear systems are used to discuss the classical group structure on the cubic.

The description for this book, Seminar On Minimal Submanifolds. (AM-103), will be forthcoming.

This 1998 book is both an introduction to, and a survey of, some topics of singularity theory; in particular the studying of singularities by means of differential forms. Here some ideas and notions that arose in global algebraic geometry, namely mixed Hodge structures and the theory of period maps, are developed in the local situation to study the case of isolated singularities of holomorphic functions. The author introduces the Gauss-Manin connection on the vanishing cohomology of a singularity, that is on the cohomology fibration associated to the Milnor fibration, and draws on the work of Brieskorn and Steenbrink to calculate this connection, and the limit mixed Hodge structure. This will be an excellent resource for all researchers whose interests lie in singularity theory, and algebraic or differential geometry.

In his classic work of geometry, Euclid focused on the properties of flat surfaces. In the age of exploration, mapmakers such as Mercator had to concern themselves with the properties of spherical surfaces. The study of curved surfaces, or non-Euclidean geometry, flowered in the late nineteenth century, as mathematicians such as Riemann increasingly questioned Euclid's parallel postulate, and by relaxing this constraint derived a wealth of new results. These seemingly abstract properties found immediate application in physics upon Einstein's introduction of the general theory of relativity.

In this book, Eisenhart succinctly surveys the key concepts of Riemannian geometry, addressing mathematicians and theoretical physicists alike.

This text on analysis on 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 author develops the Atiyah-Singer index theorem and its applications (without complete proofs) via the heat equation method. Rosenberg also treats zeta functions for Laplacians and analytic torsion, and lays out the recently uncovered relation between index theory and analytic torsion. The text is aimed at students who have had a first course in differentiable manifolds, and the author develops the Riemannian geometry used from the beginning. There are over 100 exercises with hints.

Classical algebraic geometry, inseparably connected with the names of Abel, Riemann, Weierstrass, Poincaré, Clebsch, Jacobi and other outstanding mathematicians of the last century, was mainly an analytical theory. In our century the methods and ideas of topology, commutative algebra and Grothendieck's schemes enriched it and seemed to have replaced once and forever the somewhat naive language of classical algebraic geometry. This classic book, written in 1897, covers the whole of algebraic geometry and associated theories. Baker discusses the subject in terms of transcendental functions, and theta functions in particular. Many of the ideas put forward are of continuing relevance today, and some of the most exciting ideas from theoretical physics draw on work presented here.

Riemannian Geometry includes results discovered during the last few years, which have previously only been available through research papers. It contains an elementary account of twistor spaces, of interest to applied mathematicians and physicists, and the final chapter gives the only account available in book form of Willmore surfaces (illustrated by a series of computer-generated pictures).

The theory of D-modules is a rich area of study combining ideas from algebra and differential equations, and it has significant applications to diverse areas such as singularity theory and representation theory. This book introduces D-modules and their applications, avoiding all unnecessary technicalities. The author takes an algebraic approach, concentrating on the role of the Weyl algebra. The author assumes very few prerequisites, and the book is virtually self-contained. The author includes exercises at the end of each chapter and gives the reader ample references to the more advanced literature. This is an excellent introduction to D-modules for all who are new to this area.

This is a self-contained and systematic account of affine differential geometry from a contemporary view, not only covering the classical theory, but also introducing more modern developments. In order both to cover as much as possible and to keep the text of a reasonable size, the authors have concentrated on the significant features of the subject and their relationship and application to such areas as Riemannian, Euclidean, Lorentzian and projective differential geometry. In so doing, they also provide a modern introduction to the last. Some of the important geometric surfaces considered are illustrated by computer graphics, making this a physically and mathematically attractive book for all researchers in differential geometry, and for mathematical physicists seeking a quick entry to the subject.

This book is an introduction to twistor theory and modern geometrical approaches to space-time structure at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It will be valuable also to the physicist as an introduction to some of the mathematics that has proved useful in these areas, and to the mathematician as an example of where sheaf cohomology and complex manifold theory can be used in physics.

Singularity theory encompasses many different aspects of geometry and topology, and an overview of these is represented here by papers given at the International Singularity Conference held in 1991 at Lille. The conference attracted researchers from a wide variety of subject areas, including differential and algebraic geometry, topology, and mathematical physics. Some of the best known figures in their fields participated, and their papers have been collected here. Contributors to this volume include G. Barthel, J. W. Bruce, F. Delgado, M. Ferrarotti, G. M. Greuel, J. P. Henry, L. Kaup, B. Lichtin, B. Malgrange, M. Merle, D. Mond, L. Narvaez, V. Neto, A. A. Du Plessis, R. Thom and M. Vaquie. Research workers in singularity theory or related subjects will find that this book contains a wealth of valuable information on all aspects of the subject.

This established reference work continues to provide its readers with a gateway to some of the most interesting developments in contemporary geometry. It offers insight into a wide range of topics, including fundamental concepts of Riemannian geometry, such as geodesics, connections and curvature; the basic models and tools of geometric analysis, such as harmonic functions, forms, mappings, eigenvalues, the Dirac operator and the heat flow method; as well as the most important variational principles of theoretical physics, such as Yang-Mills, Ginzburg-Landau or the nonlinear sigma model of quantum field theory. The present volume connects all these topics in a systematic geometric framework. At the same time, it equips the reader with the working tools of the field and enables her or him to delve into geometric research. The 7th edition has been systematically reorganized and updated. Almost no page has been left unchanged. It also includes new material, for instance on symplectic geometry, as well as the Bishop-Gromov volume growth theorem which elucidates the geometric role of Ricci curvature. From the reviews:"This book provides a very readable introduction to Riemannian geometry and geometric analysis... With the vast development of the mathematical subject of geometric analysis, the present textbook is most welcome." Mathematical Reviews "For readers familiar with the basics of differential geometry and some acquaintance with modern analysis, the book is reasonably self-contained. The book succeeds very well in laying out the foundations of modern Riemannian geometry and geometric analysis. It introduces a number of key techniques and provides a representative overview of the field." Monatshefte fur Mathematik

Twistor theory has become a diverse subject as it has spread from its origins in theoretical physics to applications in pure mathematics. This 1990 collection of review articles covers the considerable progress made in a wide range of applications such as relativity, integrable systems, differential and integral geometry and representation theory. The articles explore the wealth of geometric ideas which provide the unifying themes in twistor theory, from Penrose's quasi-local mass construction in relativity, to the study of conformally invariant differential operators, using techniques of representation theory.

Naber provides 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 space-time and that play a role in the Penrose-Hawking singularity theorems. The author's primary purpose is to give a rigorous proof of the simplest of these theorems, by the one that is representative of the whole. He provides exercises and examples at the end of each chapter. No previous exposure either to relativity theory of differential geometry is required of the reader, as necessary concepts are developed when needed, though some restrictions ae imposed on the types of space considered.

This book develops three related tools that are useful in the analysis of partial differential equations (PDEs), arising from the classical study of singular integral operators: pseudodifferential operators, paradifferential operators, and layer potentials.

In this volume the authors seek to illustrate how methods of differential geometry find application in the study of the topology of differential manifolds. Prerequisites are few since the authors take pains to set out the theory of differential forms and the algebra required. The reader is introduced to De Rham cohomology, and explicit and detailed calculations are present as examples. Topics covered include Mayer-Vietoris exact sequences, relative cohomology, Pioncare duality and Lefschetz's theorem. This book will be suitable for graduate students taking courses in algebraic topology and in differential topology. Mathematicians studying relativity and mathematical physics will find this an invaluable introduction to the techniques of differential geometry.

Algebraic groups and Lie groups are important in most major areas of mathematics, occuring in diverse roles such as the symmetries of differential equations and as central figures in the Langlands program for number theory. In this book, Professor Borel looks at the development of the theory of Lie groups and algebraic groups, highlighting the evolution from the almost purely local theory at the start to the global theory that we know today. As the starting point of this passage from local to global, the author takes Lie's theory of local analytic transformation groups and Lie algebras. He then follows the globalization of the process in its two most important frameworks: (transcendental) differential geometry and algebraic geometry. Chapters II to IV are devoted to the former, Chapters V to VIII, to the latter.The essays in the first part of the book survey various proofs of the full reducibility of linear representations of $SL 2M$, the contributions H. Weyl to representation and invariant theory for Lie groups, and conclude with a chapter on E. Cartan's theory of symmetric spaces and Lie groups in the large. The second part of the book starts with Chapter V describing the development of the theory of linear algebraic groups in the 19th century. Many of the main contributions here are due to E. Study, E. Cartan, and above all, to L. Maurer. After being abandoned for nearly 50 years, the theory was revived by Chevalley and Kolchin and then further developed by many others. This is the focus of Chapter VI. The book concludes with two chapters on various aspects of the works of Chevalley on Lie groups and algebraic groups and Kolchin on algebraic groups and the Galois theory of differential fields. The author brings a unique perspective to this study. As an important developer of some of the modern elements of both the differential geometric and the algebraic geometric sides of the theory, he has a particularly deep appreciation of the underlying mathematics. His lifelong involvement and his historical research in the subject give him a special appreciation of the story of its development.

This is an introduction to geometrical topics that are useful in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, including manifolds, metrics, connections, Lie groups, spinors and bundles, preparing readers for the study of modern treatments of mechanics, gauge fields theories, relativity and gravitation. The order of presentation corresponds to that used for the relevant material in theoretical physics: the geometry of affine spaces, which is appropriate to special relativity theory, as well as to Newtonian mechanics, is developed in the first half of the book, and the geometry of manifolds, which is needed for general relativity and gauge field theory, in the second half. Analysis is included not for its own sake, but only where it illuminates geometrical ideas. The style is informal and clear yet rigorous; each chapter ends with a summary of important concepts and results. In addition there are over 650 exercises, making this a book which is valuable as a text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students.

This book builds upon the revolutionary discovery made in 1974 that when one passes from function f to a function J of paths joining two points A1?A1 the connectivities R1 of the domain of f can be replaced by connectivities R1 over Q, common to the pathwise components of a basic Frechet space of classes of equivalent curves joining A1 to A1. The connectivities R1, termed "Frechet numbers," are proved independent of the choice of A1 ? A1, and of a replacement of Mn by any differential manifold homeomorphic to Mn. Originally published in 1976. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This is a self-contained introductory textbook on the calculus of differential forms and modern differential geometry. The intended audience is physicists, so the author emphasises applications and geometrical reasoning in order to give results and concepts a precise but intuitive meaning without getting bogged down in analysis. The large number of diagrams helps elucidate the fundamental ideas. Mathematical topics covered include differentiable manifolds, differential forms and twisted forms, the Hodge star operator, exterior differential systems and symplectic geometry. All of the mathematics is motivated and illustrated by useful physical examples.

This is a short tract on the essentials of differential and symplectic geometry together with a basic introduction to several applications of this rich framework: analytical mechanics, the calculus of variations, conjugate points & Morse index, and other physical topics. A central feature is the systematic utilization of Lagrangian submanifolds and their Maslov-Hoermander generating functions. Following this line of thought, first introduced by Wlodemierz Tulczyjew, geometric solutions of Hamilton-Jacobi equations, Hamiltonian vector fields and canonical transformations are described by suitable Lagrangian submanifolds belonging to distinct well-defined symplectic structures. This unified point of view has been particularly fruitful in symplectic topology, which is the modern Hamiltonian environment for the calculus of variations, yielding sharp sufficient existence conditions. This line of investigation was initiated by Claude Viterbo in 1992; here, some primary consequences of this theory are exposed in Chapter 8: aspects of Poincare's last geometric theorem and the Arnol'd conjecture are introduced. In Chapter 7 elements of the global asymptotic treatment of the highly oscillating integrals for the Schroedinger equation are discussed: as is well known, this eventually leads to the theory of Fourier Integral Operators. This short handbook is directed toward graduate students in Mathematics and Physics and to all those who desire a quick introduction to these beautiful subjects.

An introductory textbook on the differential geometry of curves and surfaces in three-dimensional Euclidean space, presented in its simplest, most essential form, but with many explanatory details, figures and examples, and in a manner that conveys the theoretical and practical importance of the different concepts, methods and results involved. With problems at the end of each section, and solutions listed at the end of the book. 99 illustrations.

Mathematical No/ex, 27

Originally published in 1981.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.