This book provides the reader with a gentle path through the multifaceted theory of vector fields, starting from the definitions and the basic properties of vector fields and flows, and ending with some of their countless applications, in the framework of what is nowadays called Geometrical Analysis. Once the background material is established, the applications mainly deal with the following meaningful settings:

This book provides the reader with a gentle path through the multifaceted theory of vector fields, starting from the definitions and the basic properties of vector fields and flows, and ending with some of their countless applications, in the framework of what is nowadays called Geometrical Analysis. Once the background material is established, the applications mainly deal with the following meaningful settings:

This book focuses on the study of the volume of vector fields on Riemannian manifolds. Providing a thorough overview of research on vector fields defining minimal submanifolds, and on the existence and characterization of volume minimizers, it includes proofs of the most significant results obtained since the subject’s introduction in 1986. Aiming to inspire further research, it also highlights a selection of intriguing open problems, and exhibits some previously unpublished results. The presentation is direct and deviates substantially from the usual approaches found in the literature, requiring a significant revision of definitions, statements, and proofs. A wide range of topics is covered, including: a discussion on the conditions for a vector field on a Riemannian manifold to determine a minimal submanifold within its tangent bundle with the Sasaki metric; numerous examples of minimal vector fields (including those of constant length on punctured spheres); a thorough analysis of Hopf vector fields on odd-dimensional spheres and their quotients; and a description of volume-minimizing vector fields of constant length on spherical space forms of dimension three. Each chapter concludes with an up-to-date survey which offers supplementary information and provides valuable insights into the material, enhancing the reader's understanding of the subject. Requiring a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts of Riemannian geometry, the book will be useful for researchers and PhD students with an interest in geometric analysis.

This book introduces advanced undergraduates to Riemannian geometry and mathematical general relativity. The overall strategy of the book is to explain the concept of curvature via the Jacobi equation which, through discussion of tidal forces, further helps motivate the Einstein field equations. After addressing concepts in geometry such as metrics, covariant differentiation, tensor calculus and curvature, the book explains the mathematical framework for both special and general relativity. Relativistic concepts discussed include (initial value formulation of) the Einstein equations, stress-energy tensor, Schwarzschild space-time, ADM mass and geodesic incompleteness. The concluding chapters of the book introduce the reader to geometric analysis: original results of the author and her undergraduate student collaborators illustrate how methods of analysis and differential equations are used in addressing questions from geometry and relativity. The book is mostly self-contained and the reader is only expected to have a solid foundation in multivariable and vector calculus and linear algebra. The material in this book was first developed for the 2013 summer program in geometric analysis at the Park City Math Institute, and was recently modified and expanded to reflect the author's experience of teaching mathematical general relativity to advanced undergraduates at Lewis & Clark College.

Examines general Cartesian coordinates, the cross product, Einstein's special theory of relativity, bases in general coordinate systems, maxima and minima of functions of two variables, line integrals, integral theorems, and more. 1963 edition.

This book presents a step-by-step guide to the basic theory of multivectors and spinors, with a focus on conveying to the reader the geometric understanding of these abstract objects. Following in the footsteps of M. Riesz and L. Ahlfors, the book also explains how Clifford algebra offers the ideal tool for studying spacetime isometries and Möbius maps in arbitrary dimensions. The book carefully develops the basic calculus of multivector fields and differential forms, and highlights novelties in the treatment of, e.g., pullbacks and Stokes’s theorem as compared to standard literature. It touches on recent research areas in analysis and explains how the function spaces of multivector fields are split into complementary subspaces by the natural first-order differential operators, e.g., Hodge splittings and Hardy splittings. Much of the analysis is done on bounded domains in Euclidean space, with a focus on analysis at the boundary. The book also includes a derivation of new Dirac integral equations for solving Maxwell scattering problems, which hold promise for future numerical applications. The last section presents down-to-earth proofs of index theorems for Dirac operators on compact manifolds, one of the most celebrated achievements of 20th-century mathematics. The book is primarily intended for graduate and PhD students of mathematics. It is also recommended for more advanced undergraduate students, as well as researchers in mathematics interested in an introduction to geometric analysis.

Vector analysis provides the language that is needed for a precise quantitative statement of the general laws and relationships governing such branches of physics as electromagnetism and fluid dynamics. The account of the subject is aimed principally at physicists but the presentation is equally appropriate for engineers. The justification for adding to the available textbooks on vector analysis stems from Professor Kemmer's novel presentation of the subject developed through many years of teaching, and in relating the mathematics to physical models. While maintaining mathematical precision, the methodology of presentation relies greatly on the visual, geometric aspects of the subject and is supported throughout the text by many beautiful illustrations that are more than just schematic. A unification of the whole body of results developed in the book - from the simple ideas of differentiation and integration of vector fields to the theory of orthogonal curvilinear coordinates and to the treatment of time-dependent integrals over fields - is achieved by the introduction from the outset of a method of general parametrisation of curves and surfaces.