Classifying Spaces and Fibrations


Book Description

The basic theory of fibrations is generalized to a context in which fibres, and maps on fibres, are constrained to lie in any preassigned category of spaces [script capital] F. Then axioms are placed on [script capital] F to allow the development of a theory of associated principal fibrations and, under several choices of additional hypotheses on [script capital] F, a classification theorem is proven for such fibrations.




A Concise Course in Algebraic Topology


Book Description

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.




Cubical Homotopy Theory


Book Description

A modern, example-driven introduction to cubical diagrams and related topics such as homotopy limits and cosimplicial spaces.




Lecture Notes in Algebraic Topology


Book Description

The amount of algebraic topology a graduate student specializing in topology must learn can be intimidating. Moreover, by their second year of graduate studies, students must make the transition from understanding simple proofs line-by-line to understanding the overall structure of proofs of difficult theorems. To help students make this transition, the material in this book is presented in an increasingly sophisticated manner. It is intended to bridge the gap between algebraic and geometric topology, both by providing the algebraic tools that a geometric topologist needs and by concentrating on those areas of algebraic topology that are geometrically motivated. Prerequisites for using this book include basic set-theoretic topology, the definition of CW-complexes, some knowledge of the fundamental group/covering space theory, and the construction of singular homology. Most of this material is briefly reviewed at the beginning of the book. The topics discussed by the authors include typical material for first- and second-year graduate courses. The core of the exposition consists of chapters on homotopy groups and on spectral sequences. There is also material that would interest students of geometric topology (homology with local coefficients and obstruction theory) and algebraic topology (spectra and generalized homology), as well as preparation for more advanced topics such as algebraic $K$-theory and the s-cobordism theorem. A unique feature of the book is the inclusion, at the end of each chapter, of several projects that require students to present proofs of substantial theorems and to write notes accompanying their explanations. Working on these projects allows students to grapple with the “big picture”, teaches them how to give mathematical lectures, and prepares them for participating in research seminars. The book is designed as a textbook for graduate students studying algebraic and geometric topology and homotopy theory. It will also be useful for students from other fields such as differential geometry, algebraic geometry, and homological algebra. The exposition in the text is clear; special cases are presented over complex general statements.




Counterexamples in Topology


Book Description

Over 140 examples, preceded by a succinct exposition of general topology and basic terminology. Each example treated as a whole. Numerous problems and exercises correlated with examples. 1978 edition. Bibliography.




Homotopy Limits, Completions and Localizations


Book Description

The main purpose of part I of these notes is to develop for a ring R a functional notion of R-completion of a space X. For R=Zp and X subject to usual finiteness condition, the R-completion coincides up to homotopy, with the p-profinite completion of Quillen and Sullivan; for R a subring of the rationals, the R-completion coincides up to homotopy, with the localizations of Quillen, Sullivan and others. In part II of these notes, the authors have assembled some results on towers of fibrations, cosimplicial spaces and homotopy limits which were needed in the discussions of part I, but which are of some interest in themselves.




Simplicial Homotopy Theory


Book Description

Since the beginning of the modern era of algebraic topology, simplicial methods have been used systematically and effectively for both computation and basic theory. With the development of Quillen's concept of a closed model category and, in particular, a simplicial model category, this collection of methods has become the primary way to describe non-abelian homological algebra and to address homotopy-theoretical issues in a variety of fields, including algebraic K-theory. This book supplies a modern exposition of these ideas, emphasizing model category theoretical techniques. Discussed here are the homotopy theory of simplicial sets, and other basic topics such as simplicial groups, Postnikov towers, and bisimplicial sets. The more advanced material includes homotopy limits and colimits, localization with respect to a map and with respect to a homology theory, cosimplicial spaces, and homotopy coherence. Interspersed throughout are many results and ideas well-known to experts, but uncollected in the literature. Intended for second-year graduate students and beyond, this book introduces many of the basic tools of modern homotopy theory. An extensive background in topology is not assumed.




Model Categories and Their Localizations


Book Description

The aim of this book is to explain modern homotopy theory in a manner accessible to graduate students yet structured so that experts can skip over numerous linear developments to quickly reach the topics of their interest. Homotopy theory arises from choosing a class of maps, called weak equivalences, and then passing to the homotopy category by localizing with respect to the weak equivalences, i.e., by creating a new category in which the weak equivalences are isomorphisms. Quillen defined a model category to be a category together with a class of weak equivalences and additional structure useful for describing the homotopy category in terms of the original category. This allows you to make constructions analogous to those used to study the homotopy theory of topological spaces. A model category has a class of maps called weak equivalences plus two other classes of maps, called cofibrations and fibrations. Quillen's axioms ensure that the homotopy category exists and that the cofibrations and fibrations have extension and lifting properties similar to those of cofibration and fibration maps of topological spaces. During the past several decades the language of model categories has become standard in many areas of algebraic topology, and it is increasingly being used in other fields where homotopy theoretic ideas are becoming important, including modern algebraic $K$-theory and algebraic geometry. All these subjects and more are discussed in the book, beginning with the basic definitions and giving complete arguments in order to make the motivations and proofs accessible to the novice. The book is intended for graduate students and research mathematicians working in homotopy theory and related areas.




The Convenient Setting of Global Analysis


Book Description

This book lays the foundations of differential calculus in infinite dimensions and discusses those applications in infinite dimensional differential geometry and global analysis not involving Sobolev completions and fixed point theory. The approach is simple: a mapping is called smooth if it maps smooth curves to smooth curves. Up to Fr‚chet spaces, this notion of smoothness coincides with all known reasonable concepts. In the same spirit, calculus of holomorphic mappings (including Hartogs' theorem and holomorphic uniform boundedness theorems) and calculus of real analytic mappings are developed. Existence of smooth partitions of unity, the foundations of manifold theory in infinite dimensions, the relation between tangent vectors and derivations, and differential forms are discussed thoroughly. Special emphasis is given to the notion of regular infinite dimensional Lie groups. Many applications of this theory are included: manifolds of smooth mappings, groups of diffeomorphisms, geodesics on spaces of Riemannian metrics, direct limit manifolds, perturbation theory of operators, and differentiability questions of infinite dimensional representations.




Infinite Groups: Geometric, Combinatorial and Dynamical Aspects


Book Description

This book offers a panorama of recent advances in the theory of infinite groups. It contains survey papers contributed by leading specialists in group theory and other areas of mathematics. Topics include amenable groups, Kaehler groups, automorphism groups of rooted trees, rigidity, C*-algebras, random walks on groups, pro-p groups, Burnside groups, parafree groups, and Fuchsian groups. The accent is put on strong connections between group theory and other areas of mathematics.