An Introduction To C* Algebras And Noncommutative Geometry

An Introduction to C*-Algebras and Noncommutative Geometry

This is the first textbook on C*-algebra theory with a view toward Noncommutative Geometry. Moreover, it fills a gap in the literature, providing a clear and accessible account of the geometric picture of K-theory and its relation to the C*-algebraic picture. The text can be used as the basis for a graduate level or a capstone course with the goal being to bring a relative novice up to speed on the basic ideas while offering a glimpse at some of the more advanced topics of the subject. Coverage includes C*-algebra theory, K-theory, K-homology, Index theory and Connes’ Noncommuntative Riemannian geometry. Aimed at graduate level students, the book is also a valuable resource for mathematicians who wish to deepen their understanding of noncommutative geometry and algebraic K-theory. A wide range of important examples are introduced at the beginning of the book. There are lots of excellent exercises and any student working through these will benefit significantly. Prerequisites include a basic knowledge of algebra, analysis, and a bit of functional analysis. As the book progresses, a little more mathematical maturity is required as the text discusses smooth manifolds, some differential geometry and elliptic operator theory, and K-theory. The text is largely self-contained though occasionally the reader may opt to consult more specialized material to further deepen their understanding of certain details.

An Introduction to C*-algebras and Noncommutative Geometry

An Introduction to Noncommutative Spaces and Their Geometries

These lecture notes are an introduction to several ideas and applications of noncommutative geometry. It starts with a not necessarily commutative but associative algebra which is thought of as the algebra of functions on some 'virtual noncommutative space'. Attention is switched from spaces, which in general do not even exist, to algebras of functions. In these notes, particular emphasis is put on seeing noncommutative spaces as concrete spaces, namely as a collection of points with a topology. The necessary mathematical tools are presented in a systematic and accessible way and include among other things, C'*-algebras, module theory and K-theory, spectral calculus, forms and connection theory. Application to Yang--Mills, fermionic, and gravity models are described. Also the spectral action and the related invariance under automorphism of the algebra is illustrated. Some recent work on noncommutative lattices is presented. These lattices arose as topologically nontrivial approximations to 'contuinuum' topological spaces. They have been used to construct quantum-mechanical and field-theory models, alternative models to lattice gauge theory, with nontrivial topological content. This book will be essential to physicists and mathematicians with an interest in noncommutative geometry and its uses in physics.