Introduction to characteristic classes and index theory
Author: Jean-Pierre Schneiders
Publisher:
Published: 2000
Total Pages: 219
ISBN-13: 9789728394127
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: Jean-Pierre Schneiders
Publisher:
Published: 2000
Total Pages: 219
ISBN-13: 9789728394127
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: John Willard Milnor
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 1974
Total Pages: 342
ISBN-13: 9780691081229
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The theory of characteristic classes provides a meeting ground for the various disciplines of differential topology, differential and algebraic geometry, cohomology, and fiber bundle theory. As such, it is a fundamental and an essential tool in the study of differentiable manifolds. In this volume, the authors provide a thorough introduction to characteristic classes, with detailed studies of Stiefel-Whitney classes, Chern classes, Pontrjagin classes, and the Euler class. Three appendices cover the basics of cohomology theory and the differential forms approach to characteristic classes, and provide an account of Bernoulli numbers. Based on lecture notes of John Milnor, which first appeared at Princeton University in 1957 and have been widely studied by graduate students of topology ever since, this published version has been completely revised and corrected.
Author: Loring W. Tu
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2017-06-01
Total Pages: 358
ISBN-13: 3319550845
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This text presents a graduate-level introduction to differential geometry for mathematics and physics students. The exposition follows the historical development of the concepts of connection and curvature with the goal of explaining the Chern–Weil theory of characteristic classes on a principal bundle. Along the way we encounter some of the high points in the history of differential geometry, for example, Gauss' Theorema Egregium and the Gauss–Bonnet theorem. Exercises throughout the book test the reader’s understanding of the material and sometimes illustrate extensions of the theory. Initially, the prerequisites for the reader include a passing familiarity with manifolds. After the first chapter, it becomes necessary to understand and manipulate differential forms. A knowledge of de Rham cohomology is required for the last third of the text. Prerequisite material is contained in author's text An Introduction to Manifolds, and can be learned in one semester. For the benefit of the reader and to establish common notations, Appendix A recalls the basics of manifold theory. Additionally, in an attempt to make the exposition more self-contained, sections on algebraic constructions such as the tensor product and the exterior power are included. Differential geometry, as its name implies, is the study of geometry using differential calculus. It dates back to Newton and Leibniz in the seventeenth century, but it was not until the nineteenth century, with the work of Gauss on surfaces and Riemann on the curvature tensor, that differential geometry flourished and its modern foundation was laid. Over the past one hundred years, differential geometry has proven indispensable to an understanding of the physical world, in Einstein's general theory of relativity, in the theory of gravitation, in gauge theory, and now in string theory. Differential geometry is also useful in topology, several complex variables, algebraic geometry, complex manifolds, and dynamical systems, among other fields. The field has even found applications to group theory as in Gromov's work and to probability theory as in Diaconis's work. It is not too far-fetched to argue that differential geometry should be in every mathematician's arsenal.
Author: Weiping Zhang
Publisher: World Scientific
Published: 2001
Total Pages: 131
ISBN-13: 9812386580
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This invaluable book is based on the notes of a graduate course on differential geometry which the author gave at the Nankai Institute of Mathematics. It consists of two parts: the first part contains an introduction to the geometric theory of characteristic classes due to ShiingOCoshen Chern and Andr(r) Weil, as well as a proof of the GaussOCoBonnetOCoChern theorem based on the MathaiOCoQuillen construction of Thom forms; the second part presents analytic proofs of the Poincar(r)OCoHopf index formula, as well as the Morse inequalities based on deformations introduced by Edward Witten. Contents: ChernOCoWeil Theory for Characteristic Classes; Bott and DuistermaatOCoHeckman Formulas; GaussOCoBonnetOCoChern Theorem; Poincar(r)OCoHopf Index Formula: An Analytic Proof; Morse Inequalities: An Analytic Proof; ThomOCoSmale and Witten Complexes; Atiyah Theorem on Kervaire Semi-characteristic. Readership: Graduate students and researchers in differential geometry, topology and mathematical physics."
Author: Amiya Mukherjee
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2013-10-30
Total Pages: 280
ISBN-13: 9386279606
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This monograph is a thorough introduction to the Atiyah-Singer index theorem for elliptic operators on compact manifolds without boundary. The main theme is only the classical index theorem and some of its applications, but not the subsequent developments and simplifications of the theory. The book is designed for a complete proof of the K -theoretic index theorem and its representation in terms of cohomological characteristic classes. In an effort to make the demands on the reader's knowledge of background materials as modest as possible, the author supplies the proofs of almost every result. The applications include Hirzebruch signature theorem, Riemann-Roch-Hirzebruch theorem, and the Atiyah-Segal-Singer fixed point theorem, etc.
Author: Theodor Bröcker
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1982-09-16
Total Pages: 176
ISBN-13: 9780521284707
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book is intended as an elementary introduction to differential manifolds. The authors concentrate on the intuitive geometric aspects and explain not only the basic properties but also teach how to do the basic geometrical constructions. An integral part of the work are the many diagrams which illustrate the proofs. The text is liberally supplied with exercises and will be welcomed by students with some basic knowledge of analysis and topology.
Author: Peter B. Gilkey
Publisher: CRC Press
Published: 1994-12-22
Total Pages: 534
ISBN-13: 9780849378744
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book treats the Atiyah-Singer index theorem using the heat equation, which gives a local formula for the index of any elliptic complex. Heat equation methods are also used to discuss Lefschetz fixed point formulas, the Gauss-Bonnet theorem for a manifold with smooth boundary, and the geometrical theorem for a manifold with smooth boundary. The author uses invariance theory to identify the integrand of the index theorem for classical elliptic complexes with the invariants of the heat equation.
Author: Neculai S. Teleman
Publisher: Springer Nature
Published: 2019-11-10
Total Pages: 398
ISBN-13: 3030284336
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book aims to provide a friendly introduction to non-commutative geometry. It studies index theory from a classical differential geometry perspective up to the point where classical differential geometry methods become insufficient. It then presents non-commutative geometry as a natural continuation of classical differential geometry. It thereby aims to provide a natural link between classical differential geometry and non-commutative geometry. The book shows that the index formula is a topological statement, and ends with non-commutative topology.
Author: J. P. May
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 1999-09
Total Pages: 262
ISBN-13: 9780226511832
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Algebraic topology is a basic part of modern mathematics, and some knowledge of this area is indispensable for any advanced work relating to geometry, including topology itself, differential geometry, algebraic geometry, and Lie groups. This book provides a detailed treatment of algebraic topology both for teachers of the subject and for advanced graduate students in mathematics either specializing in this area or continuing on to other fields. J. Peter May's approach reflects the enormous internal developments within algebraic topology over the past several decades, most of which are largely unknown to mathematicians in other fields. But he also retains the classical presentations of various topics where appropriate. Most chapters end with problems that further explore and refine the concepts presented. The final four chapters provide sketches of substantial areas of algebraic topology that are normally omitted from introductory texts, and the book concludes with a list of suggested readings for those interested in delving further into the field.