This paper is a contribution to the topological study of vector fields on manifolds. In particular we shall be concerned with the problems of exist ence of r linearly independent vector fields. For r = 1 the classical result of H. Hopf asserts that the vanishing of the Euler characteristic is the necessary and sufficient condition, and our results will give partial extens ions of Hopf's theorem to the case r > 1. Arecent article by E. Thomas [10] gives a good survey of work in this general area. Our approach to these problems is based on the index theory of elliptic differential operators and is therefore rather different from the standard topological approach. Briefly speaking, what we do is to observe that certain invariants of a manifold (Euler characteristic, signature, etc. ) are indices of elliptic operators (see [5]) and the existence of a certain number of vector fields implies certain symmetry conditions for these operators and hence corresponding results for their indices. In this way we obtain certain necessary conditions for the existence of vector fields and, more generally , for the existence of fields of tangent planes. For example, one of our results is the following THEOREM (1. 1). Let X be a compact oriented smooth manifold 0/ dimension 4 q, and assume that X possesses a tangent fteld of oriented 2-planes (that is, an oriented 2-dimensional sub-bundle 0/ the tangent vector bundle).

Systems governed by non-linear differential equations are of fundamental importance in all branches of science, but our understanding of them is still extremely limited. In this book a particular system, describing the interaction of magnetic monopoles, is investigated in detail. The use of new geometrical methods produces a reasonably clear picture of the dynamics for slowly moving monopoles. This picture clarifies the important notion of solitons, which has attracted much attention in recent years. The soliton idea bridges the gap between the concepts of "fields" and "particles," and is here explored in a fully three-dimensional context. While the background and motivation for the work comes from physics, the presentation is mathematical.

This book is interdisciplinary and addresses concerns of theoretical physicists interested in elementary particles or general relativity and mathematicians working in analysis or geometry. The interaction between geometry and physics through non-linear partial differential equations is now at a very exciting stage, and the book is a contribution to this activity.

Originally published in 1988.

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.

Systems governed by non-linear differential equations are of fundamental importance in all branches of science, but our understanding of them is still extremely limited. In this book a particular system, describing the interaction of magnetic monopoles, is investigated in detail. The use of new geometrical methods produces a reasonably clear picture of the dynamics for slowly moving monopoles. This picture clarifies the important notion of solitons, which has attracted much attention in recent years. The soliton idea bridges the gap between the concepts of "fields" and "particles," and is here explored in a fully three-dimensional context. While the background and motivation for the work comes from physics, the presentation is mathematical. This book is interdisciplinary and addresses concerns of theoretical physicists interested in elementary particles or general relativity and mathematicians working in analysis or geometry. The interaction between geometry and physics through non-linear partial differential equations is now at a very exciting stage, and the book is a contribution to this activity. Originally published in 1988. 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.