This volume aims to present a straightforward and easily accessible survey of the analytic theory of quadratic forms. Written at an elementary level, the book provides a sound basis from which the reader can study advanced works and undertake original research. Roughly half a century ago C.L. Siegel discovered a new type of automorphic forms in several variables in connection with his famous work on the analytic theory of quadratic forms. Since then Siegel modular forms have been studied extensively because of their significance in both automorphic functions in several complex variables and number theory. The comprehensive theory of automorphic forms to subgroups of algebraic groups and the recent arithmetical theory of modular forms illustrate these two aspects in an illuminating manner. The text is based on the author's lectures given over a number of years and is intended for a one semester graduate course, although it can serve equally well for self study . The only prerequisites are a knowledge of algebra, number theory and complex analysis.

This volume presents a collection of articles that are based on talks delivered at the International Conference on the Algebraic and Arithmetic Theory of Quadratic Forms held in Frutillar, Chile in December 2007. The theory of quadratic forms is closely connected with a broad spectrum of areas in algebra and number theory. The articles in this volume deal mainly with questions from the algebraic, geometric, arithmetic, and analytic theory of quadratic forms, and related questions in algebraic group theory and algebraic geometry.

In the last decade, the areas of quadratic and higher degree forms have witnessed dramatic advances. This volume is an outgrowth of three seminal conferences on these topics held in 2009, two at the University of Florida and one at the Arizona Winter School. The volume also includes papers from the two focused weeks on quadratic forms and integral lattices at the University of Florida in 2010.Topics discussed include the links between quadratic forms and automorphic forms, representation of integers and forms by quadratic forms, connections between quadratic forms and lattices, and algorithms for quaternion algebras and quadratic forms. The book will be of interest to graduate students and mathematicians wishing to study quadratic and higher degree forms, as well as to established researchers in these areas. Quadratic and Higher Degree Forms contains research and semi-expository papers that stem from the presentations at conferences at the University of Florida as well as survey lectures on quadratic forms based on the instructional workshop for graduate students held at the Arizona Winter School. The survey papers in the volume provide an excellent introduction to various aspects of the theory of quadratic forms starting from the basic concepts and provide a glimpse of some of the exciting questions currently being investigated. The research and expository papers present the latest advances on quadratic and higher degree forms and their connections with various branches of mathematics.