In this book, an index theorem is proved for arbitrary families of elliptic boundary value problems for Dirac operators and a surgery formula for the index of a family of Dirac operators on a closed manifold. Also obtained is a very general result on the cobordism invariance of the index of a family. All results are established by first symplectically rephrasing the problems and then using a generalized symplectic reduction technique. This provides a unified approach to all possible parameter spaces and all possible symmetries of a Dirac operator (eigh symmetries in the real case and two in the complex case). This text will also be of interest to those working in geometry and topology.

The authors consider a curve of Fredholm pairs of Lagrangian subspaces in a fixed Banach space with continuously varying weak symplectic structures. Assuming vanishing index, they obtain intrinsically a continuously varying splitting of the total Banach space into pairs of symplectic subspaces. Using such decompositions the authors define the Maslov index of the curve by symplectic reduction to the classical finite-dimensional case. The authors prove the transitivity of repeated symplectic reductions and obtain the invariance of the Maslov index under symplectic reduction while recovering all the standard properties of the Maslov index. As an application, the authors consider curves of elliptic operators which have varying principal symbol, varying maximal domain and are not necessarily of Dirac type. For this class of operator curves, the authors derive a desuspension spectral flow formula for varying well-posed boundary conditions on manifolds with boundary and obtain the splitting formula of the spectral flow on partitioned manifolds.

This volume and Stochastic Processes, Physics and Geometry: New Interplays I present state-of-the-art research currently unfolding at the interface between mathematics and physics. Included are select articles from the international conference held in Leipzig (Germany) in honor of Sergio Albeverio's sixtieth birthday. The theme of the conference, "Infinite Dimensional (Stochastic) Analysis and Quantum Physics", was chosen to reflect Albeverio's wide-ranging scientific interests. The articles in these books reflect that broad range of interests and provide a detailed overview highlighting the deep interplay among stochastic processes, mathematical physics, and geometry. The contributions are written by internationally recognized experts in the fields of stochastic analysis, linear and nonlinear (deterministic and stochastic) PDEs, infinite dimensional analysis, functional analysis, commutative and noncommutative probability theory, integrable systems, quantum and statistical mechanics, geometric quantization, and neural networks. Also included are applications in biology and other areas. Most of the contributions are high-level research papers. However, there are also some overviews on topics of general interest. The articles selected for publication in these volumes were specifically chosen to introduce readers to advanced topics, to emphasize interdisciplinary connections, and to stress future research directions. Volume I contains contributions from invited speakers; Volume II contains additional contributed papers. Members of the Canadian Mathematical Society may order at the AMS member price.

Content Description #"November 1997, volume 130, number 617 (first of 4 numbers)."#On t.p. "P" is blackboard bold.#Includes bibliographical references.

This collection of papers by leading researchers gives a broad picture of current research directions in geometric aspects of partial differential equations. Based on lectures presented at a Minisymposium on Spectral Invariants - Heat Equation Approach, held in September 1998 at Roskilde University in Denmark, the book provides both a careful exposition of new perspectives in classical index theory and an introduction to currently active areas of the field. Presented here are new index theorems as well as new calculations of the eta-invariant, of the spectral flow, of the Maslov index, of Seiberg-Witten monopoles, heat kernels, determinants, non-commutative residues, and of the Ray-Singer torsion. New types of boundary value problems for operators of Dirac type and generalizations to manifolds with cuspidal ends, to non-compact and to infinite-dimensional manifolds are also discussed. Throughout the book, the use of advanced analysis methods for gaining geometric insight emerges as a central theme. Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book would be suitable as a text for an advanced graduate topics course on geometric aspects of partial differential equations and spectral invariants.

Begins with the bosonic construction of four level -1/2 irreducible representations of the symplectic affine Kac-Moody Lie algebra Cl. The direct sum of two of these is given the structure of a vertex operator algebra (VOA), and the direct sum of the other two is given the structure of a twisted VOA-module. The dissertation includes the bosonic analog of the fermionic construction of a vertex operator superalgebra from the four level 1 irreducible modules of type Dl. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book is intended for graduate students and research mathematicians working probability theory and statistics.