This survey presents some recent results connecting set theory with the problems of general topology, primarily giving the applications of classical set theory in general topology and not considering problems involving large numbers. The lectures are completely self-contained--this is a good reference book on modern questions of general topology and can serve as an introduction to the applications of set theory and infinite combinatorics.

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.

This Handbook is an introduction to set-theoretic topology for students in the field and for researchers in other areas for whom results in set-theoretic topology may be relevant. The aim of the editors has been to make it as self-contained as possible without repeating material which can easily be found in standard texts. The Handbook contains detailed proofs of core results, and references to the literature for peripheral results where space was insufficient. Included are many open problems of current interest.In general, the articles may be read in any order. In a few cases they occur in pairs, with the first one giving an elementary treatment of a subject and the second one more advanced results. These pairs are: Hodel and Juhász on cardinal functions; Roitman and Abraham-Todorčević on S- and L-spaces; Weiss and Baumgartner on versions of Martin's axiom; and Vaughan and Stephenson on compactness properties.

A powerful mathematician and a great problem solver, R. H. Bing laid the foundation for a number of areas of topology. Many of his papers have continued to serve as a source of major theoretical developments and concrete applications in recent years. One outstanding example was Michael H. Freedman's use of Bing's Shrinking Criterion to solve the four-dimensional Poincaré Conjecture. This two-volume set brings together over one hundred of Bing's research, expository, andmiscellaneous papers. These works range over a great variety of topics in topology, including the topology of manifolds, decomposition spaces, continua, metrization, general topology, and geometric topology. In addition, there are a number of papers in the areas of convex functions, linearity, and conformalvarieties. The introductory section in the first volume provides historical background on Bing's life and achievements. This collection will appeal to mathematicians in all areas, and especially those in topology, as well as students, historians, and educators in the mathematical sciences, for it provides a complete historical summary of the mathematical events in the life of the man and the mathematician, R. H. Bing.

The amount of algebraic topology a graduate student specializing in topology must learn can be intimidating. Moreover, by their second year of graduate studies, students must make the transition from understanding simple proofs line-by-line to understanding the overall structure of proofs of difficult theorems. To help students make this transition, the material in this book is presented in an increasingly sophisticated manner. It is intended to bridge the gap between algebraic and geometric topology, both by providing the algebraic tools that a geometric topologist needs and by concentrating on those areas of algebraic topology that are geometrically motivated. Prerequisites for using this book include basic set-theoretic topology, the definition of CW-complexes, some knowledge of the fundamental group/covering space theory, and the construction of singular homology. Most of this material is briefly reviewed at the beginning of the book. The topics discussed by the authors include typical material for first- and second-year graduate courses. The core of the exposition consists of chapters on homotopy groups and on spectral sequences. There is also material that would interest students of geometric topology (homology with local coefficients and obstruction theory) and algebraic topology (spectra and generalized homology), as well as preparation for more advanced topics such as algebraic $K$-theory and the s-cobordism theorem. A unique feature of the book is the inclusion, at the end of each chapter, of several projects that require students to present proofs of substantial theorems and to write notes accompanying their explanations. Working on these projects allows students to grapple with the “big picture”, teaches them how to give mathematical lectures, and prepares them for participating in research seminars. The book is designed as a textbook for graduate students studying algebraic and geometric topology and homotopy theory. It will also be useful for students from other fields such as differential geometry, algebraic geometry, and homological algebra. The exposition in the text is clear; special cases are presented over complex general statements.

Concise work presents topological concepts in clear, elementary fashion, from basics of set-theoretic topology, through topological theorems and questions based on concept of the algebraic complex, to the concept of Betti groups. Includes 25 figures.

The goal of these lectures is to present an introduction to the geometric topology of the Hilbert cube Q and separable metric manifolds modeled on Q, which are called here Hilbert cube manifolds or Q-manifolds. In the past ten years there has been a great deal of research on Q and Q-manifolds which is scattered throughout several papers in the literature. The author presents here a self-contained treatment of only a few of these results in the hope that it will stimulate further interest in this area. No new material is presented here and no attempt has been made to be complete. For example, the author has omitted the important theorem of Schori-West stating that the hyperspace of closed subsets of $[0,1]$ is homeomorphic to Q.In an appendix (prepared independently by R. D. Anderson, D. W. Curtis, R. Schori and G. Kozlowski) there is a list of problems which are of current interest. This includes problems on Q-manifolds as well as manifolds modeled on various linear spaces. The reader is referred to this for a much broader perspective of the field. In the first four chapters, the basic tools which are needed in all of the remaining chapters are presented. Beyond this there seem to be at least two possible courses of action. The reader who is interested only in the triangulation and classification of Q-manifolds should read straight through (avoiding only Chapter VI). In particular the topological invariance of Whitehead torsion appears in Section 38. The reader who is interested in R. D. Edwards' recent proof that every ANR is a Q-manifold factor should read the first four chapters and then (with the single exception of 26.1) skip over to Chapters XIII and XIV.