Theory of Gauge Fields in Four Dimensions (Cbms Regional Conference Series in Mathematics) - H. Blaine Lawson (1985)
ISBN 0821807080
Subject Four-manifolds (Topology); Gauge fields (Physics)
Publisher Amer Mathematical Society
Publication Date May 1985
Format Paperback (249 x 170 mm)
Language e
Plot
Lawson's expository lectures, presented at a CBMS Regional Conference held in Santa Barbara in August 1983, provide an in-depth examination of the recent work of Simon Donaldson, and is of special interest to both geometric topologists and differential geometers. This work has excited particular interest, in light of Mike Freedman's recent profound results: the complete classification, in the simply connected case, of compact topological 4-manifolds. Arguing from deep results in gauge field theory, Donaldson has proved the nonexistence of differentiable structures on certain compact 4-manifolds. Together with Freedman's results, Donaldson's work implies the existence of exotic differentiable structures in $\mathbb R^4$--a wonderful example of the results of one mathematical discipline yielding startling consequences in another.

The lectures are aimed at mature mathematicians with some training in both geometry and topology, but they do not assume any expert knowledge. In addition to a close examination of Donaldson's arguments, Lawson also presents, as background material, the foundation work in gauge theory (Uhlenbeck, Taubes, Atiyah, Hitchin, Singer, et al.) which underlies Donaldson's work.

Personal Details
Collection Status In Collection
Index 1015
Read It Yes
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Product Details
LoC Classification QA1 .R33 no. 58 copy 1
Dewey 530.1/43
Cover Price $24.00
No. of Pages 101