The distance formula in noncommutative geometry was introduced by Connes at the end of the 1980s. It is a generalization of Riemannian geodesic distance that makes sense in a noncommutative setting, and provides an original tool to study the geometry of the space of states on an algebra. It also has an intriguing echo in physics, for it yields a metric interpretation for the Higgs field. In the 1990s, Rieffel noticed that this distance is a noncommutative version of the Wasserstein distance of order 1 in the theory of optimal transport. More exactly, this is a noncommutative generalization of Kantorovich dual formula of the Wasserstein distance. Connes distance thus offers an unexpected connection between an ancient mathematical problem and the most recent discovery in high energy physics. The meaning of this connection is far from clear. Yet, Rieffel's observation suggests that Connes distance may provide an interesting starting point for a theory of optimal transport in noncommutative geometry. This volume contains several review papers that will give the reader an extensive introduction to the metric aspect of noncommutative geometry and its possible interpretation as a Wasserstein distance on a quantum space, as well as several topic papers.

The book provides an introduction to sub-Riemannian geometry and optimal transport and presents some of the recent progress in these two fields. The text is completely self-contained: the linear discussion, containing all the proofs of the stated results, leads the reader step by step from the notion of distribution at the very beginning to the existence of optimal transport maps for Lipschitz sub-Riemannian structure. The combination of geometry presented from an analytic point of view and of optimal transport, makes the book interesting for a very large community. This set of notes grew from a series of lectures given by the author during a CIMPA school in Beirut, Lebanon.

Lecture notes and research papers on optimal transportation, its applications, and interactions with other areas of mathematics.

This book provides an introduction to noncommutative geometry and presents a number of its recent applications to particle physics. It is intended for graduate students in mathematics/theoretical physics who are new to the field of noncommutative geometry, as well as for researchers in mathematics/theoretical physics with an interest in the physical applications of noncommutative geometry. In the first part, we introduce the main concepts and techniques by studying finite noncommutative spaces, providing a “light” approach to noncommutative geometry. We then proceed with the general framework by defining and analyzing noncommutative spin manifolds and deriving some main results on them, such as the local index formula. In the second part, we show how noncommutative spin manifolds naturally give rise to gauge theories, applying this principle to specific examples. We subsequently geometrically derive abelian and non-abelian Yang-Mills gauge theories, and eventually the full Standard Model of particle physics, and conclude by explaining how noncommutative geometry might indicate how to proceed beyond the Standard Model.

This English version of the path-breaking French book on this subject gives the definitive treatment of the revolutionary approach to measure theory, geometry, and mathematical physics developed by Alain Connes. Profusely illustrated and invitingly written, this book is ideal for anyone who wants to know what noncommutative geometry is, what it can do, or how it can be used in various areas of mathematics, quantization, and elementary particles and fields. First full treatment of the subject and its applications Written by the pioneer of this field Broad applications in mathematics Of interest across most fields Ideal as an introduction and survey Examples treated include: the space of Penrose tilings the space of leaves of a foliation the space of irreducible unitary representations of a discrete group the phase space in quantum mechanics the Brillouin zone in the quantum Hall effect A model of space time

By discussing topics such as shape representations, relaxation theory and optimal transport, trends and synergies of mathematical tools required for optimization of geometry and topology of shapes are explored. Furthermore, applications in science and engineering, including economics, social sciences, biology, physics and image processing are covered. Contents Part I Geometric issues in PDE problems related to the infinity Laplace operator Solution of free boundary problems in the presence of geometric uncertainties Distributed and boundary control problems for the semidiscrete Cahn–Hilliard/Navier–Stokes system with nonsmooth Ginzburg–Landau energies High-order topological expansions for Helmholtz problems in 2D On a new phase field model for the approximation of interfacial energies of multiphase systems Optimization of eigenvalues and eigenmodes by using the adjoint method Discrete varifolds and surface approximation Part II Weak Monge–Ampere solutions of the semi-discrete optimal transportation problem Optimal transportation theory with repulsive costs Wardrop equilibria: long-term variant, degenerate anisotropic PDEs and numerical approximations On the Lagrangian branched transport model and the equivalence with its Eulerian formulation On some nonlinear evolution systems which are perturbations of Wasserstein gradient flows Pressureless Euler equations with maximal density constraint: a time-splitting scheme Convergence of a fully discrete variational scheme for a thin-film equatio Interpretation of finite volume discretization schemes for the Fokker–Planck equation as gradient flows for the discrete Wasserstein distance