Coarse geometry is the study of spaces (particularly metric spaces) from a 'large scale' point of view, so that two spaces that look the same from a great distance are actually equivalent. This book provides a general perspective on coarse structures. It discusses results on asymptotic dimension and uniform embeddings into Hilbert space.
Index theory studies the solutions to differential equations on geometric spaces, their relation to the underlying geometry and topology, and applications to physics. If the space of solutions is infinite dimensional, it becomes necessary to generalise the classical Fredholm index using tools from the K-theory of operator algebras. This leads to higher index theory, a rapidly developing subject with connections to noncommutative geometry, large-scale geometry, manifold topology and geometry, and operator algebras. Aimed at geometers, topologists and operator algebraists, this book takes a friendly and concrete approach to this exciting theory, focusing on the main conjectures in the area and their applications outside of it. A well-balanced combination of detailed introductory material (with exercises), cutting-edge developments and references to the wider literature make this a valuable guide to this active area for graduate students and experts alike.
Noncommutative differential geometry is a novel approach to geometry, aimed in part at applications in physics. It was founded in the early eighties by the 1982 Fields Medalist Alain Connes on the basis of his fundamental works in operator algebras. It is now a very active branch of mathematics with actual and potential applications to a variety of domains in physics ranging from solid state to quantization of gravity. The strategy is to formulate usual differential geometry in a somewhat unusual manner, using in particular operator algebras and related concepts, so as to be able to plug in noncommutativity in a natural way. Algebraic tools such as K-theory and cyclic cohomology and homology play an important role in this field. It is an important topic both for mathematics and physics.
This book collects 10 mathematical essays on approximation in Analysis and Topology by some of the most influent mathematicians of the last third of the 20th Century. Besides the papers contain the very ultimate results in each of their respective fields, many of them also include a series of historical remarks about the state of mathematics at the time they found their most celebrated results, as well as some of their personal circumstances originating them, which makes particularly attractive the book for all scientist interested in these fields, from beginners to experts. These gem pieces of mathematical intra-history should delight to many forthcoming generations of mathematicians, who will enjoy some of the most fruitful mathematics of the last third of 20th century presented by their own authors. This book covers a wide range of new mathematical results. Among them, the most advanced characterisations of very weak versions of the classical maximum principle, the very last results on global bifurcation theory, algebraic multiplicities, general dependencies of solutions of boundary value problems with respect to variations of the underlying domains, the deepest available results in rapid monotone schemes applied to the resolution of non-linear boundary value problems, the intra-history of the the genesis of the first general global continuation results in the context of periodic solutions of nonlinear periodic systems, as well as the genesis of the coincidence degree, some novel applications of the topological degree for ascertaining the stability of the periodic solutions of some classical families of periodic second order equations, the resolution of a number of conjectures related to some very celebrated approximation problems in topology and inverse problems, as well as a number of applications to engineering, an extremely sharp discussion of the problem of approximating topological spaces by polyhedra using various techniques based on inverse systems, as well as homotopy expansions, and the Bishop-Phelps theorem. Key features: - It contains a number of seminal contributions by some of the most world leading mathematicians of the second half of the 20th Century. - The papers cover a complete range of topics, from the intra-history of the involved mathematics to the very last developments in Differential Equations, Inverse Problems, Analysis, Nonlinear Analysis and Topology. - All contributed papers are self-contained works containing rather complete list of references on each of the subjects covered. - The book contains some of the very last findings concerning the maximum principle, the theory of monotone schemes in nonlinear problems, the theory of algebraic multiplicities, global bifurcation theory, dynamics of periodic equations and systems, inverse problems and approximation in topology. - The papers are extremely well written and directed to a wide audience, from beginners to experts. An excellent occasion to become engaged with some of the most fruitful mathematics developed during the last decades.
This authoritative volume in honor of Alain Connes, the foremost architect of Noncommutative Geometry, presents the state-of-the art in the subject. The book features an amalgam of invited survey and research papers that will no doubt be accessed, read, and referred to, for several decades to come. The pertinence and potency of new concepts and methods are concretely illustrated in each contribution. Much of the content is a direct outgrowth of the Noncommutative Geometry conference, held March 23–April 7, 2017, in Shanghai, China. The conference covered the latest research and future areas of potential exploration surrounding topology and physics, number theory, as well as index theory and its ramifications in geometry.
This handbook offers a compilation of techniques and results in K-theory. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific topic and is written by a leading expert. Many chapters present historical background; some present previously unpublished results, whereas some present the first expository account of a topic; many discuss future directions as well as open problems. It offers an exposition of our current state of knowledge as well as an implicit blueprint for future research.