Lectures On The H Cobordism Theorem Notes By L Siebenmann And J Sondow

Lectures on Differential Geometry

Differential geometry is a subject related to many fields in mathematics and the sciences. The authors of this book provide a vertically integrated introduction to differential geometry and geometric analysis. The material is presented in three distinct parts: an introduction to geometry via submanifolds of Euclidean space, a first course in Riemannian geometry, and a graduate special topics course in geometric analysis, and it contains more than enough content to serve as a good textbook for a course in any of these three topics. The reader will learn about the classical theory of submanifolds, smooth manifolds, Riemannian comparison geometry, bundles, connections, and curvature, the Chern?Gauss?Bonnet formula, harmonic functions, eigenfunctions, and eigenvalues on Riemannian manifolds, minimal surfaces, the curve shortening flow, and the Ricci flow on surfaces. This will provide a pathway to further topics in geometric analysis such as Ricci flow, used by Hamilton and Perelman to solve the Poincar‚ and Thurston geometrization conjectures, mean curvature flow, and minimal submanifolds. The book is primarily aimed at graduate students in geometric analysis, but it will also be of interest to postdoctoral researchers and established mathematicians looking for a refresher or deeper exploration of the topic.

Lectures on the h-cobordism theorem, notes by L. Siebenmann and J. Sondow

Lectures on Field Theory and Topology

These lectures recount an application of stable homotopy theory to a concrete problem in low energy physics: the classification of special phases of matter. While the joint work of the author and Michael Hopkins is a focal point, a general geometric frame of reference on quantum field theory is emphasized. Early lectures describe the geometric axiom systems introduced by Graeme Segal and Michael Atiyah in the late 1980s, as well as subsequent extensions. This material provides an entry point for mathematicians to delve into quantum field theory. Classification theorems in low dimensions are proved to illustrate the framework. The later lectures turn to more specialized topics in field theory, including the relationship between invertible field theories and stable homotopy theory, extended unitarity, anomalies, and relativistic free fermion systems. The accompanying mathematical explanations touch upon (higher) category theory, duals to the sphere spectrum, equivariant spectra, differential cohomology, and Dirac operators. The outcome of computations made using the Adams spectral sequence is presented and compared to results in the condensed matter literature obtained by very different means. The general perspectives and specific applications fuse into a compelling story at the interface of contemporary mathematics and theoretical physics.