A recent paper on subfactors of von Neumann factors has stimulated much research in von Neumann algebras. It was discovered soon after the appearance of this paper that certain algebras which are used there for the analysis of subfactors could also be used to define a new polynomial invariant for links. Recent efforts to understand the fundamental nature of the new link invariants has led to connections with invariant theory, statistical mechanics and quantum theory. In turn, the link invariants, the notion of a quantum group, and the quantum Yang-Baxter equation have had a great impact on the study of subfactors. Our subject is certain algebraic and von Neumann algebraic topics closely related to the original paper. However, in order to promote, in a modest way, the contact between diverse fields of mathematics, we have tried to make this work accessible to the broadest audience. Consequently, this book contains much elementary expository material.

Groups as abstract structures were first recognized by mathematicians in the nineteenth century. Groups are, of course, sets given with appropriate "multiplications," and they are often given together with actions on interesting geometric objects. But groups are also interesting geometric objects by themselves. More precisely, a finitely-generated group can be seen as a metric space, the distance between two points being defined "up to quasi-isometry" by some "word length," and this gives rise to a very fruitful approach to group theory.
In this book, Pierre de la Harpe provides a concise and engaging introduction to this approach, a new method for studying infinite groups via their intrinsic geometry that has played a major role in mathematics over the past two decades. A recognized expert in the field, de la Harpe uses a hands-on presentation style, illustrating key concepts of geometric group theory with numerous concrete examples.
The first five chapters present basic combinatorial and geometric group theory in a unique way, with an emphasis on finitely-generated versus finitely-presented groups. In the final three chapters, de la Harpe discusses new material on the growth of groups, including a detailed treatment of the "Grigorchuk group," an infinite finitely-generated torsion group of intermediate growth which is becoming more and more important in group theory. Most sections are followed by exercises and a list of problems and complements, enhancing the book's value for students; problems range from slightly more difficult exercises to open research questions in the field. An extensive list of references directs readers to more advanced results as well as connectionswith other subjects.

Unitary representations of groups play an important role in many subjects, including number theory, geometry, probability theory, partial differential equations, and quantum mechanics. This monograph focuses on dual spaces associated to a group, which are spaces of building blocks of general unitary representations. Special attention is paid to discrete groups for which the unitary dual, the most common dual space, has proven to be not useful in general and for which other duals spaces have to be considered, such as the primitive dual, the normal quasi-dual, or spaces of characters. The book offers a detailed exposition of these alternative dual spaces and covers the basic facts about unitary representations and operator algebras needed for their study. Complete and elementary proofs are provided for most of the fundamental results that up to now have been accessible only in original papers and appear here for the first time in textbook form. A special feature of this monograph is that the theory is systematically illustrated by a family of examples of discrete groups for which the various dual spaces are discussed in great detail: infinite dihedral group, Heisenberg groups, affine groups of fields, solvable Baumslag-Solitar group, lamplighter group, and general and special linear groups. The book will appeal to graduate students who wish to learn the basics facts of an important topic and provides a useful resource for researchers from a variety of areas. The only prerequisites are a basic background in group theory, measure theory, and operator algebras.

Property (T) is a rigidity property for topological groups, first formulated by D. Kazhdan in the mid 1960's with the aim of demonstrating that a large class of lattices are finitely generated. Later developments have shown that Property (T) plays an important role in an amazingly large variety of subjects, including discrete subgroups of Lie groups, ergodic theory, random walks, operator algebras, combinatorics, and theoretical computer science. This monograph offers a comprehensive introduction to the theory. It describes the two most important points of view on Property (T): the first uses a unitary group representation approach, and the second a fixed point property for affine isometric actions. Via these the authors discuss a range of important examples and applications to several domains of mathematics. A detailed appendix provides a systematic exposition of parts of the theory of group representations that are used to formulate and develop Property (T).

Groups as abstract structures were first recognized by mathematicians in the nineteenth century. Groups are, of course, sets given with appropriate "multiplications," and they are often given together with actions on interesting geometric objects. But groups are also interesting geometric objects by themselves. More precisely, a finitely-generated group can be seen as a metric space, the distance between two points being defined "up to quasi-isometry" by some "word length," and this gives rise to a very fruitful approach to group theory.
In this book, Pierre de la Harpe provides a concise and engaging introduction to this approach, a new method for studying infinite groups via their intrinsic geometry that has played a major role in mathematics over the past two decades. A recognized expert in the field, de la Harpe uses a hands-on presentation style, illustrating key concepts of geometric group theory with numerous concrete examples.
The first five chapters present basic combinatorial and geometric group theory in a unique way, with an emphasis on finitely-generated versus finitely-presented groups. In the final three chapters, de la Harpe discusses new material on the growth of groups, including a detailed treatment of the "Grigorchuk group," an infinite finitely-generated torsion group of intermediate growth which is becoming more and more important in group theory. Most sections are followed by exercises and a list of problems and complements, enhancing the book's value for students; problems range from slightly more difficult exercises to open research questions in the field. An extensive list of references directs readers to more advanced results as well as connectionswith other subjects.