Poisson Structures and Their Normal Forms


Book Description

The aim of this book is twofold. On the one hand, it gives a quick, self-contained introduction to Poisson geometry and related subjects. On the other hand, it presents a comprehensive treatment of the normal form problem in Poisson geometry. Even when it comes to classical results, the book gives new insights. It contains results obtained over the past 10 years which are not available in other books.




Poisson Structures


Book Description

Poisson structures appear in a large variety of contexts, ranging from string theory, classical/quantum mechanics and differential geometry to abstract algebra, algebraic geometry and representation theory. In each one of these contexts, it turns out that the Poisson structure is not a theoretical artifact, but a key element which, unsolicited, comes along with the problem that is investigated, and its delicate properties are decisive for the solution to the problem in nearly all cases. Poisson Structures is the first book that offers a comprehensive introduction to the theory, as well as an overview of the different aspects of Poisson structures. The first part covers solid foundations, the central part consists of a detailed exposition of the different known types of Poisson structures and of the (usually mathematical) contexts in which they appear, and the final part is devoted to the two main applications of Poisson structures (integrable systems and deformation quantization). The clear structure of the book makes it adequate for readers who come across Poisson structures in their research or for graduate students or advanced researchers who are interested in an introduction to the many facets and applications of Poisson structures.​




Council for African American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences: Volume V


Book Description

"This volume contains articles based on talks presented at the Thirteenth Conference of African American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences (CAARMS), held at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts, Boston on June 19-22, 2007. The representation theory of Lie groups and its applications were a major focus of the talks."--BOOK JACKET.




Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems and Applications


Book Description

This volume is the collected and extended notes from the lectures on Hamiltonian dynamical systems and their applications that were given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute in Montreal in 2007. Many aspects of the modern theory of the subject were covered at this event, including low dimensional problems. Applications are also presented to several important areas of research, including problems in classical mechanics, continuum mechanics, and partial differential equations.




Kontsevich’s Deformation Quantization and Quantum Field Theory


Book Description

This book provides an introduction to deformation quantization and its relation to quantum field theory, with a focus on the constructions of Kontsevich and Cattaneo & Felder. This subject originated from an attempt to understand the mathematical structure when passing from a commutative classical algebra of observables to a non-commutative quantum algebra of observables. Developing deformation quantization as a semi-classical limit of the expectation value for a certain observable with respect to a special sigma model, the book carefully describes the relationship between the involved algebraic and field-theoretic methods. The connection to quantum field theory leads to the study of important new field theories and to insights in other parts of mathematics such as symplectic and Poisson geometry, and integrable systems. Based on lectures given by the author at the University of Zurich, the book will be of interest to graduate students in mathematics or theoretical physics. Readers will be able to begin the first chapter after a basic course in Analysis, Linear Algebra and Topology, and references are provided for more advanced prerequisites.




Geometry, Mechanics, and Dynamics


Book Description

This book illustrates the broad range of Jerry Marsden’s mathematical legacy in areas of geometry, mechanics, and dynamics, from very pure mathematics to very applied, but always with a geometric perspective. Each contribution develops its material from the viewpoint of geometric mechanics beginning at the very foundations, introducing readers to modern issues via illustrations in a wide range of topics. The twenty refereed papers contained in this volume are based on lectures and research performed during the month of July 2012 at the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, in a program in honor of Marsden's legacy. The unified treatment of the wide breadth of topics treated in this book will be of interest to both experts and novices in geometric mechanics. Experts will recognize applications of their own familiar concepts and methods in a wide variety of fields, some of which they may never have approached from a geometric viewpoint. Novices may choose topics that interest them among the various fields and learn about geometric approaches and perspectives toward those topics that will be new for them as well.




Geometry and Physics: Volume 2


Book Description

Nigel Hitchin is one of the world's foremost figures in the fields of differential and algebraic geometry and their relations with mathematical physics, and he has been Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford since 1997. Geometry and Physics: A Festschrift in honour of Nigel Hitchin contain the proceedings of the conferences held in September 2016 in Aarhus, Oxford, and Madrid to mark Nigel Hitchin's 70th birthday, and to honour his far-reaching contributions to geometry and mathematical physics. These texts contain 29 articles by contributors to the conference and other distinguished mathematicians working in related areas, including three Fields Medallists. The articles cover a broad range of topics in differential, algebraic and symplectic geometry, and also in mathematical physics. These volumes will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in geometry and mathematical physics.




Geometry and Physics


Book Description

Nigel Hitchin is one of the world's foremost figures in the fields of differential and algebraic geometry and their relations with mathematical physics, and he has been Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford since 1997. Geometry and Physics: A Festschrift in honour of Nigel Hitchin contain the proceedings of the conferences held in September 2016 in Aarhus, Oxford, and Madrid to mark Nigel Hitchin's 70th birthday, and to honour his far-reaching contributions to geometry and mathematical physics. These texts contain 29 articles by contributors to the conference and other distinguished mathematicians working in related areas, including three Fields Medallists. The articles cover a broad range of topics in differential, algebraic and symplectic geometry, and also in mathematical physics. These volumes will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in geometry and mathematical physics.




Formality Theory


Book Description

This book is a survey of the theory of formal deformation quantization of Poisson manifolds, in the formalism developed by Kontsevich. It is intended as an educational introduction for mathematical physicists who are dealing with the subject for the first time. The main topics covered are the theory of Poisson manifolds, star products and their classification, deformations of associative algebras and the formality theorem. Readers will also be familiarized with the relevant physical motivations underlying the purely mathematical construction.