This volume contains the proceedings of the 2017 Georgia International Topology Conference, held from May 22-June 2, 2017, at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. The papers contained in this volume cover topics ranging from symplectic topology to classical knot theory to topology of 3- and 4-dimensional manifolds to geometric group theory. Several papers focus on open problems, while other papers present new and insightful proofs of classical results. Taken as a whole, this volume captures the spirit of the conference, both in terms of public lectures and informal conversations, and presents a sampling of some of the great new ideas generated in topology over the preceding eight years.

This book on two-dimensional geometry uses a problem-solving approach to actively engage students in the learning process. The aim is to guide readers through the story of the subject, while giving them room to discover and partially construct the story themselves. The book bridges the study of plane geometry and the study of curves and surfaces of non-constant curvature in three-dimensional Euclidean space.

The study of group actions is more than a hundred years old but remains to this day a vibrant and widely studied topic in a variety of mathematic fields. A central development in the last fifty years is the phenomenon of rigidity, whereby one can classify actions of certain groups, such as lattices in semi-simple Lie groups. This provides a way to classify all possible symmetries of important spaces and all spaces admitting given symmetries. Paradigmatic results can be found in the seminal work of George Mostow, Gergory Margulis, and Robert J. Zimmer, among others.

The papers in "Geometry, Rigidity, and Group Actions "explore the role of group actions and rigidity in several areas of mathematics, including ergodic theory, dynamics, geometry, topology, and the algebraic properties of representation varieties. In some cases, the dynamics of the possible group actions are the principal focus of inquiry. In other cases, the dynamics of group actions are a tool for proving theorems about algebra, geometry, or topology. This volume contains surveys of some of the main directions in the field, as well as research articles on topics of current interest.

This volume contains the proceedings of the mini-workshop on Topological Complexity and Related Topics, held from February 28-March 5, 2016, at the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach. Topological complexity is a numerical homotopy invariant, defined by Farber in the early twenty-first century as part of a topological approach to the motion planning problem in robotics. It continues to be the subject of intensive research by homotopy theorists, partly due to its potential applicability, and partly due to its close relationship to more classical invariants, such as the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category and the Schwarz genus. This volume contains survey articles and original research papers on topological complexity and its many generalizations and variants, to give a snapshot of contemporary research on this exciting topic at the interface of pure mathematics and engineering.

Ricci flow is a powerful technique using a heat-type equation to deform Riemannian metrics on manifolds to better metrics in the search for geometric decompositions. With the fourth part of their volume on techniques and applications of the theory, the authors discuss long-time solutions of the Ricci flow and related topics. In dimension 3, Perelman completed Hamilton's program to prove Thurston's geometrization conjecture. In higher dimensions the Ricci flow has remarkable properties, which indicates its usefulness to understand relations between the geometry and topology of manifolds. This book discusses recent developments on gradient Ricci solitons, which model the singularities developing under the Ricci flow. In the shrinking case there is a surprising rigidity which suggests the likelihood of a well-developed structure theory. A broader class of solutions is ancient solutions; the authors discuss the beautiful classification in dimension 2. In higher dimensions they consider both ancient and singular Type I solutions, which must have shrinking gradient Ricci soliton models. Next, Hamilton's theory of 3-dimensional nonsingular solutions is presented, following his original work. Historically, this theory initially connected the Ricci flow to the geometrization conjecture. From a dynamical point of view, one is interested in the stability of the Ricci flow. The authors discuss what is known about this basic problem. Finally, they consider the degenerate neckpinch singularity from both the numerical and theoretical perspectives. This book makes advanced material accessible to researchers and graduate students who are interested in the Ricci flow and geometric evolution equations and who have a knowledge of the fundamentals of the Ricci flow.

Knot theory is a classical area of low-dimensional topology, directly connected with the theory of three-manifolds and smooth four-manifold topology. In recent years, the subject has undergone transformative changes thanks to its connections with a number of other mathematical disciplines, including gauge theory; representation theory and categorification; contact geometry; and the theory of pseudo-holomorphic curves. Starting from the combinatorial point of view on knots using their grid diagrams, this book serves as an introduction to knot theory, specifically as it relates to some of the above developments. After a brief overview of the background material in the subject, the book gives a self-contained treatment of knot Floer homology from the point of view of grid diagrams. Applications include computations of the unknotting number and slice genus of torus knots (asked first in the 1960s and settled in the 1990s), and tools to study variants of knot theory in the presence of a contact structure. Additional topics are presented to prepare readers for further study in holomorphic methods in low-dimensional topology, especially Heegaard Floer homology. The book could serve as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or part of a graduate course in knot theory. Standard background material is sketched in the text and the appendices.

This volume contains the proceedings of the conference String-Math 2012, which was held July 16-21, 2012, at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics, Universitat Bonn. This was the second in a series of annual large meetings devoted to the interface of mathematics and string theory. These meetings have rapidly become the flagship conferences in the field. Topics include super Riemann surfaces and their super moduli, generalized moonshine and K3 surfaces, the latest developments in supersymmetric and topological field theory, localization techniques, applications to knot theory, and many more. The contributors include many leaders in the field, such as Sergio Cecotti, Matthias Gaberdiel, Rahul Pandharipande, Albert Schwarz, Anne Taormina, Johannes Walcher, Katrin Wendland, and Edward Witten. This book will be essential reading for researchers and students in this area and for all mathematicians and string theorists who want to update themselves on developments in the math-string interface.

PROPs and their variants are extremely general and powerful machines that encode operations with multiple inputs and multiple outputs. In this respect PROPs can be viewed as generalizations of operads that would allow only a single output. Variants of PROPs are important in several mathematical fields, including string topology, topological conformal field theory, homotopical algebra, deformation theory, Poisson geometry, and graph cohomology. The purpose of this monograph is to develop, in full technical detail, a unifying object called a generalized PROP. Then with an appropriate choice of pasting scheme, one recovers (colored versions of) dioperads, half-PROPs, (wheeled) operads, (wheeled) properads, and (wheeled) PROPs. Here the fundamental operation of graph substitution is studied in complete detail for the first time, including all exceptional edges and loops as examples of a new definition of wheeled graphs. A notion of generators and relations is proposed which allows one to build all of the graphs in a given pasting scheme from a small set of basic graphs using graph substitution. This provides information at the level of generalized PROPs, but also at the levels of algebras and of modules over them. Working in the general context of a symmetric monoidal category, the theory applies for both topological spaces and chain complexes in characteristic zero. This book is useful for all mathematicians and mathematical physicists who want to learn this new powerful technique.

This invaluable book is based on the notes of a graduate course on differential geometry which the author gave at the Nankai Institute of Mathematics. It consists of two parts: the first part contains an introduction to the geometric theory of characteristic classes due to Shiing-shen Chern and Andre Weil, as well as a proof of the Gauss-Bonnet-Chern theorem based on the Mathai-Quillen construction of Thom forms; the second part presents analytic proofs of the Poincare-Hopf index formula, as well as the Morse inequalities based on deformations introduced by Edward Witten.

A basic problem in differential geometry is to find canonical metrics on manifolds. The best known example of this is the classical uniformization theorem for Riemann surfaces. Extremal metrics were introduced by Calabi as an attempt at finding a higher-dimensional generalization of this result, in the setting of Kahler geometry. This book gives an introduction to the study of extremal Kahler metrics and in particular to the conjectural picture relating the existence of extremal metrics on projective manifolds to the stability of the underlying manifold in the sense of algebraic geometry. The book addresses some of the basic ideas on both the analytic and the algebraic sides of this picture. An overview is given of much of the necessary background material, such as basic Kahler geometry, moment maps, and geometric invariant theory. Beyond the basic definitions and properties of extremal metrics, several highlights of the theory are discussed at a level accessible to graduate students: Yau's theorem on the existence of Kahler-Einstein metrics, the Bergman kernel expansion due to Tian, Donaldson's lower bound for the Calabi energy, and Arezzo-Pacard's existence theorem for constant scalar curvature Kahler metrics on blow-ups.

This book explores a number of new applications of invariant quasi-finite diffused Borel measures in Polish groups for a solution of various problems stated by famous mathematicians (for example, Carmichael, Erdos, Fremlin, Darji and so on). By using natural Borel embeddings of an infinite-dimensional function space into the standard topological vector space of all real-valued sequences, (endowed with the Tychonoff topology) a new approach for the construction of different translation-invariant quasi-finite diffused Borel measures with suitable properties and for their applications in a solution of various partial differential equations in an entire vector space is proposed.

In recent years scholars from a variety of branches of mathematics have made several significant developments in the theory of group actions. "Groups of Circle Diffeomorphisms" systematically explores group actions on the simplest closed manifold, the circle. As the group of circle diffeomorphisms is an important subject in modern mathematics, this book will be of interest to those doing research in group theory, dynamical systems, low dimensional geometry and topology, and foliation theory. The book is mostly self-contained and also includes numerous complementary exercises, making it an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate students.

This textbook treats the classical parts of mapping degree theory, with a detailed account of its history traced back to the first half of the 18th century. After a historical first chapter, the remaining four chapters develop the mathematics. An effort is made to use only elementary methods, resulting in a self-contained presentation. Even so, the book arrives at some truly outstanding theorems: the classification of homotopy classes for spheres and the Poincare-Hopf Index Theorem, as well as the proofs of the original formulations by Cauchy, Poincare, and others. Although the mapping degree theory you will discover in this book is a classical subject, the treatment is refreshing for its simple and direct style. The straightforward exposition is accented by the appearance of several uncommon topics: tubular neighborhoods without metrics, differences between class 1 and class 2 mappings, Jordan Separation with neither compactness nor cohomology, explicit constructions of homotopy classes of spheres, and the direct computation of the Hopf invariant of the first Hopf fibration. The book is suitable for a one-semester graduate course. There are 180 exercises and problems of different scope and difficulty.

Mathematics has been behind many of humanity's most significant advances in fields as varied as genome sequencing, medical science, space exploration, and computer technology. But those breakthroughs were yesterday. Where will mathematicians lead us tomorrow and can we help shape that destiny? This book assembles carefully selected articles highlighting and explaining cutting-edge research and scholarship in mathematics with an emphasis on three manifolds.

In this book, generally speaking, some properties of bitopological spaces generated by certain non-symmetric functions are studied. These functions, called "probabilistic quasi-pseudo-metrics" and "fuzzy quasi-pseudo-metrics", are generalisations of classical quasi-pseudo metrics. For the sake of completeness as well as for convenience and easy comparison, most of the introductory paragraphs are mainly devoted to fundamental notions and results from the classical -- deterministic or symmetric -- theory.

A powerful mathematician and a great problem solver, R. H. Bing laid the foundation for a number of areas of topology. Many of his papers have continued to serve as a source of major theoretical developments and concrete applications in recent years. One outstanding example was Michael H. Freedman's use of Bing's Shrinking Criterion to solve the four-dimensional Poincare Conjecture. This two-volume set brings together over one hundred of Bing's research, expository, and miscellaneous papers. These works range over a great variety of topics in topology, including the topology of manifolds, decomposition spaces, continua, metrization, general topology, and geometric topology. In addition, there are a number of papers in the areas of convex functions, linearity, and conformal varieties.The introductory section in the first volume provides historical background on Bing's life and achievements. This collection will appeal to mathematicians in all areas, and especially those in topology, as well as students, historians, and educators in the mathematical sciences, for it provides a complete historical summary of the mathematical events in the life of the man and the mathematician, R. H. Bing.

This book is an introduction to elementary topology presented in an intuitive way, emphasizing the visual aspect. Examples of nontrivial and often unexpected topological phenomena acquaint the reader with the picturesque world of knots, links, vector fields, and two-dimensional surfaces. The book begins with definitions presented in a tangible and perceptible way, on an everyday level, and progressively makes them more precise and rigorous, eventually reaching the level of fairly sophisticated proofs. This allows meaningful problems to be tackled from the outset. Another unusual trait of this book is that it deals mainly with constructions and maps, rather than with proofs that certain maps and constructions do or do not exist. The numerous illustrations are an essential feature. The book is accessible not only to undergraduates but also to high school students and will interest any reader who has some feeling for the visual elegance of geometry and topology.

Characteristic classes are central to the modern study of the topology and geometry of manifolds. They were first introduced in topology, where, for instance, they could be used to define obstructions to the existence of certain fiber bundles. Characteristic classes were later defined (via the Chern-Weil theory) using connections on vector bundles, thus revealing their geometric side. In the late 1960s new theories arose that described still finer structures.Examples of the so-called secondary characteristic classes came from Chern-Simons invariants, Gelfand-Fuks cohomology, and the characteristic classes of flat bundles. The new techniques are particularly useful for the study of fiber bundles whose structure groups are not finite dimensional. The theory of characteristic classes of surface bundles is perhaps the most developed. Here the special geometry of surfaces allows one to connect this theory to the theory of moduli space of Riemann surfaces, i.e., Teichmuller theory. In this book Morita presents an introduction to the modern theories of characteristic classes.

For a Riemannian manifold $M$, the geometry, topology and analysis are interrelated in ways that are widely explored in modern mathematics. Bounds on the curvature can have significant implications for the topology of the manifold. The eigenvalues of the Laplacian are naturally linked to the geometry of the manifold. For manifolds that admit spin (or $\textrm {spin}^\mathbb{C}$) structures, one obtains further information from equations involving Dirac operators and spinor fields. In the case of four-manifolds, for example, one has the remarkable Seiberg-Witten invariants.In this text, Friedrich examines the Dirac operator on Riemannian manifolds, especially its connection with the underlying geometry and topology of the manifold. The presentation includes a review of Clifford algebras, spin groups and the spin representation, as well as a review of spin structures and $\textrm {spin}^\mathbb{C}$ structures. With this foundation established, the Dirac operator is defined and studied, with special attention to the cases of Hermitian manifolds and symmetric spaces. Then, certain analytic properties are established, including self-adjointness and the Fredholm property. An important link between the geometry and the analysis is provided by estimates for the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator in terms of the scalar curvature and the sectional curvature.Considerations of Killing spinors and solutions of the twistor equation on $M$ lead to results about whether $M$ is an Einstein manifold or conformally equivalent to one. Finally, in an appendix, Friedrich gives a concise introduction to the Seiberg-Witten invariants, which are a powerful tool for the study of four-manifolds. There is also an appendix reviewing principal bundles and connections. This detailed book with elegant proofs is suitable as a text for courses in advanced differential geometry and global analysis, and can serve as an introduction for further study in these areas. This edition is translated from the German edition published by Vieweg Verlag.

Students love Schaums--and this new guide will show you why! Graph Theory takes you straight to the heart of graphs. As you study along at your own pace, this study guide shows you step by step how to solve the kind of problems youre going to find on your exams. It gives you hundreds of completely worked problems with full solutions. Hundreds of additional problems let you test your skills, then check the ansers. So if you want to get a firm handle on graph theory--whether to ace your graph course, to supplement a course that uses graphs, or to build a solid basis for future study--theres no better tool than Schaums. This guide makes a wonderful supplement to your class text, but it is so comprehensive that it can even be used alone as a complete graph theory independent study course!

After the development of manifolds and algebraic varieties in the previous century, mathematicians and physicists have continued to advance concepts of space. These books explore various new notions of space, including both formal and conceptual points of view, as presented by leading experts at the New Spaces in Mathematics and Physics workshop held at the Institut Henri Poincare in 2015. They are addressed primarily to mathematicians and mathematical physicists, but also to historians and philosophers of these disciplines.

This book presents fixed point theory, one of the crucial tools in applied mathematics, functional analysis, and topology, which has been used to solve distinct real-world problems in computer science, engineering, and physics. The authors begin with an overview of the extension of metric spaces. Readers are introduced to general fixed-point theorems while comparing and contrasting important and insignificant metric spaces. The book is intended to be self-contained and serves as a unique resource for researchers in various disciplines.

Uncover the Useful Interactions of Fixed Point Theory with Topological Structures Nonlinear Functional Analysis in Banach Spaces and Banach Algebras: Fixed Point Theory under Weak Topology for Nonlinear Operators and Block Operator Matrices with Applications is the first book to tackle the topological fixed point theory for block operator matrices with nonlinear entries in Banach spaces and Banach algebras. The book provides researchers and graduate students with a unified survey of the fundamental principles of fixed point theory in Banach spaces and algebras. The authors present several extensions of Schauder's and Krasnosel'skii's fixed point theorems to the class of weakly compact operators acting on Banach spaces and algebras, particularly on spaces satisfying the Dunford-Pettis property. They also address under which conditions a 2x2 block operator matrix with single- and multi-valued nonlinear entries will have a fixed point. In addition, the book describes applications of fixed point theory to a wide range of diverse equations, including transport equations arising in the kinetic theory of gas, stationary nonlinear biological models, two-dimensional boundary-value problems arising in growing cell populations, and functional systems of integral equations. The book focuses on fixed point results under the weak topology since these problems involve the loss of compactness of mappings and/or the missing geometric and topological structure of their underlying domain.

Specialized as it might be, continuum theory is one of the most intriguing areas in mathematics. However, despite being popular journal fare, few books have thoroughly explored this interesting aspect of topology.

In Topics on Continua, Sergio Macias, one of the field's leading scholars, presents four of his favorite continuum topics: inverse limits, Jones's set function "T," homogenous continua, and "n"-fold hyperspaces, and in doing so, presents the most complete set of theorems and proofs ever contained in a single topology volume. Many of the results presented have previously appeared only in research papers, and some appear here for the first time.

After building the requisite background and exploring the inverse limits of continua, the discussions focus on Professor Jones's set function "T "and continua for which "T" is continuous. An introduction to topological groups and group actions lead to a proof of Effros's Theorem, followed by a presentation of two decomposition theorems. The author then offers an in-depth study of "n"-fold hyperspaces. This includes their general properties, conditions that allow points of "n"-fold symmetric products to be arcwise accessible from their complement, points that arcwise disconnect the "n"-fold hyperspaces, the "n"-fold hyperspaces of graphs, and theorems relating "n"-fold hyperspaces and cones. The concluding chapter presents a series of open questions on each topic discussed in the book.

With more than a decade of teaching experience, Macias is able to put forth exceptionally cogent discussions that not only give beginning mathematicians a strong grounding in continuum theory, but also form an authoritative, single-source guidethrough some of topology's most captivating facets.