Subfactors have been a subject of considerable research activity for about 15 years and are known to have significant relations with other fields such as low dimensional topology and algebraic quantum field theory. These notes give an introduction to the subject suitable for a student who has only a little familiarity with the theory of Hilbert space. A new pictorial approach to subfactors is presented in a late ch apter.
This monograph provides a more unifed and self-contained presentation of the results presented in Popa's earlier papers on this topic. "Classifications of Subfactors and Their Endomorphisms" is based on lectures presented by Popa at the NSF-CBMS Regional Conference held in Eugene, Oregon, in August, 1993.
This book is based on a set of lectures presented by the author at the NSF-CBMS Regional Conference, Applications of Operator Algebras to Knot Theory and Mathematical Physics, held at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in June 1988. The audience consisted of low-dimensional topologists and operator algebraists, so the speaker attempted to make the material comprehensible to both groups. He provides an extensive introduction to the theory of von Neumann algebras and to knot theory and braid groups. The presentation follows the historical development of the theory of subfactors and the ensuing applications to knot theory, including full proofs of some of the major results. The author treats in detail the Homfly and Kauffman polynomials, introduces statistical mechanical methods on knot diagrams, and attempts an analogy with conformal field theory. Written by one of the foremost mathematicians of the day, this book will give readers an appreciation of the unexpected interconnections between different parts of mathematics and physics.
Pure mathematicians have only recently begun a rigorous study of topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). Ocneanu, in particular, showed that subfactors yield TQFTs that complement the Turaev-Viro construction. Until now, however, it has been difficult to find an account of this work that is both detailed and accessible. Topological Quant
The theory of operators stands at the intersection of the frontiers of modern analysis and its classical counterparts; of algebra and quantum mechanics; of spectral theory and partial differential equations; of the modern global approach to topology and geometry; of representation theory and harmonic analysis; and of dynamical systems and mathematical physics. The present collection of papers represents contributions to a conference, and they have been carefully selected with a view to bridging different but related areas of mathematics which have only recently displayed an unexpected network of interconnections, as well as new and exciting cross-fertilizations. Our unify ing theme is the algebraic view and approach to the study of operators and their applications. The complementarity between the diversity of topics on the one hand and the unity of ideas on the other has been stressed. Some of the longer contributions represent material from lectures (in expanded form and with proofs for the most part). However, the shorter papers, as well as the longer ones, are an integral part of the picture; they have all been carefully refereed and revised with a view to a unity of purpose, timeliness, readability, and broad appeal. Raul Curto and Paile E. T.
