Based on the NSF-CBMS Regional Conference lectures presented by Miwa in June 1993, this book surveys recent developments in the interplay between solvable lattice models in statistical mechanics and representation theory of quantum affine algebras. Because results in this subject were scattered in the literature, this book fills the need for a systematic account, focusing attention on fundamentals without assuming prior knowledge about lattice models or representation theory. After a brief account of basic principles in statistical mechanics, the authors discuss the standard subjects concerning solvable lattice models in statistical mechanics, the main examples being the spin 1/2 XXZ chain and the six-vertex model. The book goes on to introduce the main objects of study, the corner transfer matrices and the vertex operators, and discusses some of their aspects from the viewpoint of physics. Once the physical motivations are in place, the authors return to the mathematics, covering the Frenkel-Jing bosonization of a certain module, formulas for the vertex operators using bosons, the role of representation theory, and correlation functions and form factors. The limit of the XXX model is briefly discussed, and the book closes with a discussion of other types of models and related works.

Advanced Studies in Pure Mathematics, 16: Conformal Field Theory and Solvable Lattice Models contains nine papers based on the symposium "Conformal field theory and solvable lattice models" held at RIMS, Kyoto, May 1986. These papers cover the following active areas in mathematical physics: conformal field theory, solvable lattice models, affine and Virasoro algebra, and KP equations. The volume begins with an analysis of 1 and 2 point correlation functions of the Gibbs measure of random matrices. This is followed by separate chapters on solvable solid-on-solid (SOS) models; lectures on conformal field theory; the construction of Fermion variables for the 3D Ising Model; and vertex operator construction of null fields (singular vertex operators) based on the oscillator representation of conformal and superconformal algebras with central charge extention. Subsequent chapters deal with Hecke algebra representations of braid groups and classical Yang-Baxter equations; the relationship between the conformal field theories and the soliton equations (KdV, MKdV and Sine-Gordon, etc.) at both quantum and classical levels; and a supersymmetric extension of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili hierarchy.

Over the past 30 years, exciting developments in diverse areas of the theory of Lie algebras and their representations have been observed. The symposium covered topics such as Lie algebras and combinatorics, crystal bases for quantum groups, quantum groups and solvable lattice models, and modular and infinite-dimensional Lie algebras. In this volume, readers will find several excellent expository articles and research papers containing many significant new results in this area.

This volume consists of a collection of recent research articles dedicated to Vladimir Rittenberg on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Various aspects of solvable models in different areas of theoretical and mathematical physics are covered. Particular topics include diffusion, self-organized criticality, classical and quantum spin chains, two-dimensional lattice models, quantum algebras, and conformal field theory. The list of contributing authors contains altogether 34 names, including among others, Baxter, Cardy, Itzykson, Martin, McCoy, Nahm, Pearce and de Vega.

This unique volume provides a comprehensive overview of exactly solved models in statistical mechanics by looking at the scientific achievements of F Y Wu in this and related fields, which span four decades of his career. The book is organized into topics ranging from lattice models in condensed matter physics to graph theory in mathematics, and includes the author's pioneering contributions. Through insightful commentaries, the author presents an overview of each of the topics and an insider's look at how crucial developments emerged. With the inclusion of important pedagogical review articles by the author, Exactly Solved Models is an indispensable learning tool for graduate students, and an essential reference and source book for researchers in physics and mathematics as well as historians of science.