Covering the theory of computation, information and communications, the physical aspects of computation, and the physical limits of computers, this text is based on the notes taken by one of its editors, Tony Hey, on a lecture course on computation given b
Mathematical Physics is an introduction to such basic mathematical structures as groups, vector spaces, topological spaces, measure spaces, and Hilbert space. Geroch uses category theory to emphasize both the interrelationships among different structures and the unity of mathematics. Perhaps the most valuable feature of the book is the illuminating intuitive discussion of the "whys" of proofs and of axioms and definitions. This book, based on Geroch's University of Chicago course, will be especially helpful to those working in theoretical physics, including such areas as relativity, particle physics, and astrophysics.
This book presents a survey of Topology and Differential Geometry and also, Lie Groups and Algebras, and their Representations. The first topic is indispensable to students of gravitation and related areas of modern physics (including string theory), while the second has applications in gauge theory and particle physics, integrable systems and nuclear physics.Part I provides a simple introduction to basic topology, followed by a survey of homotopy. Calculus of differentiable manifolds is then developed, and a Riemannian metric is introduced along with the key concepts of connections and curvature. The final chapters lay out the basic notions of simplicial homology and de Rham cohomology as well as fibre bundles, particularly tangent and cotangent bundles.Part II starts with a review of group theory, followed by the basics of representation theory. A thorough description of Lie groups and algebras is presented with their structure constants and linear representations. Root systems and their classifications are detailed, and this section of the book concludes with the description of representations of simple Lie algebras, emphasizing spinor representations of orthogonal and pseudo-orthogonal groups.The style of presentation is succinct and precise. Involved mathematical proofs that are not of primary importance to physics student are omitted. The book aims to provide the reader access to a wide variety of sources in the current literature, in addition to being a textbook of advanced mathematical methods for physicists.
Describes the relation between classical and quantum mechanics. This book contains a discussion of problems related to group representation theory and to scattering theory. It intends to give a mathematically oriented student the opportunity to grasp the main points of quantum theory in a mathematical framework.
These notes are based on lectures the author gave at the University of Bonn and the Erwin Schrodinger Institute in Vienna. The aim is to give a thorough introduction to the theory of Kahler manifolds with special emphasis on the differential geometric side of Kahler geometry. The exposition starts with a short discussion of complex manifolds and holomorphic vector bundles and a detailed account of the basic differential geometric properties of Kahler manifolds. The more advanced topics are the cohomology of Kahler manifolds, Calabi conjecture, Gromov's Kahler hyperbolic spaces, and the Kodaira embedding theorem. Some familiarity with global analysis and partial differential equations is assumed, in particular in the part on the Calabi conjecture. There are appendices on Chern-Weil theory, symmetric spaces, and $L^2$-cohomology.
This book records my efforts over the past four years to capture in words a description of the form and function of Mathematics, as a background for the Philosophy of Mathematics. My efforts have been encouraged by lec tures that I have given at Heidelberg under the auspices of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Minnesota, the latter under the auspices of the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications. Jean Benabou has carefully read the entire manuscript and has offered incisive comments. George Glauberman, Car los Kenig, Christopher Mulvey, R. Narasimhan, and Dieter Puppe have provided similar comments on chosen chapters. Fred Linton has pointed out places requiring a more exact choice of wording. Many conversations with George Mackey have given me important insights on the nature of Mathematics. I have had similar help from Alfred Aeppli, John Gray, Jay Goldman, Peter Johnstone, Bill Lawvere, and Roger Lyndon. Over the years, I have profited from discussions of general issues with my colleagues Felix Browder and Melvin Rothenberg. Ideas from Tammo Tom Dieck, Albrecht Dold, Richard Lashof, and Ib Madsen have assisted in my study of geometry. Jerry Bona and B.L. Foster have helped with my examina tion of mechanics. My observations about logic have been subject to con structive scrutiny by Gert Miiller, Marian Boykan Pour-El, Ted Slaman, R. Voreadou, Volker Weispfennig, and Hugh Woodin.
This volume is a basic introduction to certain aspects of elliptic functions and elliptic integrals. Primarily, the elliptic functions stand out as closed solutions to a class of physical and geometrical problems giving rise to nonlinear differential equations. While these nonlinear equations may not be the types of greatest interest currently, the fact that they are solvable exactly in terms of functions about which much is known makes up for this. The elliptic functions of Jacobi, or equivalently the Weierstrass elliptic functions, inhabit the literature on current problems in condensed matter and statistical physics, on solitons and conformal representations, and all sorts of famous problems in classical mechanics. The lectures on elliptic functions have evolved as part of the first semester of a course on theoretical and mathematical methods given to first and second year graduate students in physics and chemistry at the University of North Dakota. They are for graduate students or for researchers who want an elementary introduction to the subject that nevertheless leaves them with enough of the details to address real problems. The style is supposed to be informal. The intention is to introduce the subject as a moderate extension of ordinary trigonometry in which the reference circle is replaced by an ellipse. This entre depends upon fewer tools and has seemed less intimidating that other typical introductions to the subject that depend on some knowledge of complex variables. The first three lectures assume only calculus, including the chain rule and elementary knowledge of differential equations. In the later lectures, the complex analytic properties are introduced naturally so that a more complete study becomes possible.
This book presents a mathematically rigorous approach to the main ideas and phenomena of statistical physics. The introduction addresses the physical motivation, focusing on the basic concept of modern statistical physics, that is the notion of Gibbsian random fields. Properties of Gibbsian fields are analysed in two ranges of physical parameters: "regular" (corresponding to high-temperature and low-density regimes) where no phase transition is exhibited, and "singular" (low temperature regimes) where such transitions occur. Next, a detailed approach to the analysis of the phenomena of phase transitions of the first kind, the Pirogov-Sinai theory, is presented. The author discusses this theory in a general way and illustrates it with the example of a lattice gas with three types of particles. The conclusion gives a brief review of recent developments arising from this theory. The volume is written for the beginner, yet advanced students will benefit from it as well. The book will serve nicely as a supplementary textbook for course study. The prerequisites are an elementary knowledge of mechanics, probability theory and functional analysis.