Differential Geometry And Symmetric Spaces

Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces

The present book is intended as a textbook and reference work on three topics in the title. Together with a volume in progress on "Groups and Geometric Analysis" it supersedes my "Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces," published in 1962. Since that time several branches of the subject, particularly the function theory on symmetric spaces, have developed substantially. I felt that an expanded treatment might now be useful.

Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces

Sigurdur Helgason's Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces was quickly recognized as a remarkable and important book. For many years, it was the standard text both for Riemannian geometry and for the analysis and geometry of symmetric spaces. Several generations of mathematicians relied on it for its clarity and careful attention to detail. Although much has happened in the field since the publication of this book, as demonstrated by Helgason's own three-volume expansion of the original work, this single volume is still an excellent overview of the subjects. For instance, even though there are now many competing texts, the chapters on differential geometry and Lie groups continue to be among the best treatments of the subjects available. There is also a well-developed treatment of Cartan's classification and structure theory of symmetric spaces. The last chapter, on functions on symmetric spaces, remains an excellent introduction to the study of spherical functions, the theory of invariant differential operators, and other topics in harmonic analysis. This text is rightly called a classic.

Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces