Author: Paul J. Sally (Jr.)
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 0821851861
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 282
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Book Description
This book contains papers presented by speakers at the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Conformal Field Theory, Topological Field Theory and Quantum Groups, held at Mount Holyoke College in June 1992. One group of papers deals with one aspect of conformal field theory, namely, vertex operator algebras or superalgebras and their representations. Another group deals with various aspects of quantum groups. Other topics covered include the theory of knots in three-manifolds, symplectic geometry, and tensor products. This book provides an excellent view of some of the latest developments in this growing field of research.
Author: Martin Schottenloher
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540706909
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 153
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Book Description
Part I gives a detailed, self-contained and mathematically rigorous exposition of classical conformal symmetry in n dimensions and its quantization in two dimensions. The conformal groups are determined and the appearence of the Virasoro algebra in the context of the quantization of two-dimensional conformal symmetry is explained via the classification of central extensions of Lie algebras and groups. Part II surveys more advanced topics of conformal field theory such as the representation theory of the Virasoro algebra, conformal symmetry within string theory, an axiomatic approach to Euclidean conformally covariant quantum field theory and a mathematical interpretation of the Verlinde formula in the context of moduli spaces of holomorphic vector bundles on a Riemann surface.
Author: Daniel S. Freed
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 1470452065
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 202
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Book Description
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.
Author: Joachim Kock
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521540315
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 260
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Book Description
This 2003 book describes a striking connection between topology and algebra, namely that 2D topological quantum field theories are equivalent to commutative Frobenius algebras. The precise formulation of the theorem and its proof is given in terms of monoidal categories, and the main purpose of the book is to develop these concepts from an elementary level, and more generally serve as an introduction to categorical viewpoints in mathematics. Rather than just proving the theorem, it is shown how the result fits into a more general pattern concerning universal monoidal categories for algebraic structures. Throughout, the emphasis is on the interplay between algebra and topology, with graphical interpretation of algebraic operations, and topological structures described algebraically in terms of generators and relations. The book will prove valuable to students or researchers entering this field who will learn a host of modern techniques that will prove useful for future work.
Author: Chengming Bai
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642393837
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 285
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Book Description
The present volume is a collection of seven papers that are either based on the talks presented at the workshop "Conformal field theories and tensor categories" held June 13 to June 17, 2011 at the Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research, Peking University, or are extensions of the material presented in the talks at the workshop. These papers present new developments beyond rational conformal field theories and modular tensor categories and new applications in mathematics and physics. The topics covered include tensor categories from representation categories of Hopf algebras, applications of conformal field theories and tensor categories to topological phases and gapped systems, logarithmic conformal field theories and the corresponding non-semisimple tensor categories, and new developments in the representation theory of vertex operator algebras. Some of the papers contain detailed introductory material that is helpful for graduate students and researchers looking for an introduction to these research directions. The papers also discuss exciting recent developments in the area of conformal field theories, tensor categories and their applications and will be extremely useful for researchers working in these areas.
Author: Daniel S. Freed
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 9780821886830
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 476
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Book Description
The first title in a new series, this book explores topics from classical and quantum mechanics and field theory. The material is presented at a level between that of a textbook and research papers making it ideal for graduate students. The book provides an entree into a field that promises to remain exciting and important for years to come.
Author: Robin Ticciati
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 052163265X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 720
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Book Description
This should be a useful reference for anybody with an interest in quantum theory.
Author: Pierre Deligne
Publisher: American Mathematical Society
ISBN: 0821820133
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 801
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Book Description
A run-away bestseller from the moment it hit the market in late 1999. This impressive, thick softcover offers mathematicians and mathematical physicists the opportunity to learn about the beautiful and difficult subjects of quantum field theory and string theory. Cover features an intriguing cartoon that will bring a smile to its intended audience.
Author: Bojko Bakalov
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 0821826867
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 232
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Book Description
This book gives an exposition of the relations among the following three topics: monoidal tensor categories (such as a category of representations of a quantum group), 3-dimensional topological quantum field theory, and 2-dimensional modular functors (which naturally arise in 2-dimensional conformal field theory). The following examples are discussed in detail: the category of representations of a quantum group at a root of unity and the Wess-Zumino-Witten modular functor. The idea that these topics are related first appeared in the physics literature in the study of quantum field theory. Pioneering works of Witten and Moore-Seiberg triggered an avalanche of papers, both physical and mathematical, exploring various aspects of these relations. Upon preparing to lecture on the topic at MIT, however, the authors discovered that the existing literature was difficult and that there were gaps to fill. The text is wholly expository and finely succinct. It gathers results, fills existing gaps, and simplifies some proofs. The book makes an important addition to the existing literature on the topic. It would be suitable as a course text at the advanced-graduate level.
Author: Toshitake Kohno
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 9780821821305
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 188
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Book Description
Geometry and physics have been developed with a strong influence on each other. One of the most remarkable interactions between geometry and physics since 1980 has been an application of quantum field theory to topology and differential geometry. This book focuses on a relationship between two-dimensional quantum field theory and three-dimensional topology which has been studied intensively since the discovery of the Jones polynomial in the middle of the 1980s and Witten's invariantfor 3-manifolds derived from Chern-Simons gauge theory. An essential difficulty in quantum field theory comes from infinite-dimensional freedom of a system. Techniques dealing with such infinite-dimensional objects developed in the framework of quantum field theory have been influential in geometryas well. This book gives an accessible treatment for a rigorous construction of topological invariants originally defined as partition functions of fields on manifolds. The book is organized as follows: The Introduction starts from classical mechanics and explains basic background materials in quantum field theory and geometry. Chapter 1 presents conformal field theory based on the geometry of loop groups. Chapter 2 deals with the holonomy of conformal field theory. Chapter 3 treatsChern-Simons perturbation theory. The final chapter discusses topological invariants for 3-manifolds derived from Chern-Simons perturbation theory.
