Topology And Physics

The book explores fascinating and novel topics at the intersection of gravity, quantum fields, condensed matter, physical cosmology, and topology. It features contributions from world-renowned experts and pioneers in the field.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 14 March 2019
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd

The book is a captivating and influential compilation of significant contributions from a diverse group of world-renowned experts and pioneers from various fields, who are actively working at the intersection of topology and physics or applying topology to physical systems. It delves into a wide range of intriguing and novel topics that reside at the confluence of gravity, quantum fields, condensed matter, physical cosmology, and topology. A comprehensive, well-organized, and thorough overview of remarkable and insightful connections between physics and topology is presented to the physics reader in this invaluable resource.

Since its inception in Poincaré's seminal 1894 paper, "Analysis Situs," topology has established itself as a fundamental pillar of mathematics. As with all elegant mathematical concepts, topology inevitably finds its prominent place in physics, in keeping with the Wignerian principle of the effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences. From Chern-Simons theory to topological quantum field theory, from knot invariants to Calabi-Yau compactification in string theory, from spacetime topology in cosmology to the recent Nobel Prize-winning work on topological insulators, the interactions between topology and physics have been a remarkable success over the past few decades.

In this eponymous volume, we are privileged to have contributions from a collective of esteemed grandmasters of the field, who guide us with their unparalleled expertise on the subject of the interplay between topology and physics. The book begins with a preface by Chen Ning Yang, in which he shares his recollections of the early days of this field. This is followed by a novel perspective on nuclei, offered by Sir Michael Atiyah and Nick Manton, through the lens of complex geometry. The next chapter provides an introduction to recent developments in two-dimensional gravity and intersection theory on the moduli space.

Overall, this book offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the intricate connections between topology and physics, providing a valuable resource for researchers, students, and enthusiasts alike. It showcases the remarkable achievements and advancements that have been made in this field, and it lays the foundation for future research and discoveries.

Weight: 416g
Dimension: 173 x 245 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789813278509