Free probability theory, introduced by Voiculescu, has developed very actively in the last few years and has had an increasing impact on quite different fields in mathematics and physics. Whereas the subject arose out of the field of von Neumann algebras, presented here is a quite different view of Voiculescu's amalgamated free product. This combinatorial description not only allows re-proving of most of Voiculescu's results in a concise and elegant way, but also opens the way for many new results. Unlike other approaches, this book emphasizes the combinatorial structure of the concept of ``freeness''. This gives an elegant and easily accessible description of freeness and leads to new results in unexpected directions. Specifically, a mathematical framework for otherwise quite ad hoc approximations in physics emerges.

From the reviews: "This book [...] defines the boundaries of the subject now called combinatorial group theory. [...] it is a considerable achievement to have concentrated a survey of the subject into 339 pages. [...] a valuable and welcome addition to the literature, containing many results not previously available in a book. It will undoubtedly become a standard reference." Mathematical Reviews

This book is intended for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in operator algebras

This volume consists of 18 research papers reflecting the impressive progress made in the field. It includes new results on quantum stochastic integration, the stochastic limit, quantum teleportation and other areas. Contents: Markov Property -- Recent Developments on the Quantum Markov Property (L Accardi & F Fidaleo); Stationary Quantum Stochastic Processes from the Cohomological Point of View (G G Amosov); The Feller Property of a Class of Quantum Markov Semigroups II (R Carbone & F Fagnola); Recognition and Teleportation (K-H Fichtner et al.); Prediction Errors and Completely Positive Maps (R Gohm); Multiplicative Properties of Double Stochastic Product Integrals (R L Hudson); Isometric Cocycles Related to Beam Splittings (V Liebscher); Multiplicativity via a Hat Trick (J M Lindsay & S J Wills); Dilation Theory and Continuous Tensor Product Systems of Hilbert Modules (M Skeide); Quasi-Free Fermion Planar Quantum Stochastic Integrals (W J Spring & I F Wilde); and other papers.

This volume consists of 18 research papers reflecting the impressive progress made in the field. It includes new results on quantum stochastic integration, quantum Markov processes, the stochastic limit, quantum teleportation and other areas.

This book introduces the study of algebra induced by combinatorial objects called directed graphs. These graphs are used as tools in the analysis of graph-theoretic problems and in the characterization and solution of analytic problems. The book presents recent research in operator algebra theory connected with discrete and combinatorial mathematic

This book not only examines the constructions and free-probabilistic properties of semicircular elements, as defined within the text, but also considers certain Banach-space operators acting on these semicircular elements and shows how they deform (i.e., preserve-or-distort) the semicircular law induced by orthogonal projections. FEATURES Suitable for graduate students and professional researchers in operator theory and/or analysis Numerous applications in related scientific fields and areas