The present textbook is a somewhat expanded version of the material of a three-semester course I gave in Bochum. It attempts a synthesis of geometric and analytic methods in the study of Riemannian manifolds. In the first chapter, we introduce the basic geometric concepts, like dif ferentiable manifolds, tangent spaces, vector bundles, vector fields and one parameter groups of diffeomorphisms, Lie algebras and groups and in par ticular Riemannian metrics. We also derive some elementary results about geodesics. The second chapter introduces de Rham cohomology groups and the es sential tools from elliptic PDE for treating these groups. In later chapters, we shall encounter nonlinear versions of the methods presented here. The third chapter treats the general theory of connections and curvature. In the fourth chapter, we introduce Jacobi fields, prove the Rauch com parison theorems for Jacobi fields and apply these results to geodesics. These first four chapters treat the more elementary and basic aspects of the subject. Their results will be used in the remaining, more advanced chapters that are essentially independent of each other. In the fifth chapter, we develop Morse theory and apply it to the study of geodesics. The sixth chapter treats symmetric spaces as important examples of Rie mannian manifolds in detail.

The first of three parts comprising Volume 54, the proceedings of the Summer Research Institute on Differential Geometry, held at the University of California, Los Angeles, July 1990 (ISBN for the set is 0-8218-1493-1). Part 1 begins with a problem list by S.T. Yau, successor to his 1980 list ( Sem

This monograph treats variational problems for mappings from a surface equipped with a conformal structure into Euclidean space or a Riemannian manifold. Presents a general theory of such variational problems, proving existence and regularity theorems with particular conceptual emphasis on the geometric aspects of the theory and thorough investigation of the connections with complex analysis. Among the topics covered are: Plateau's problem, the regularity theory of solutions, a variational approach for obtaining various conformal representation theorems, a general existence theorem for harmonic mappings, and a new approach to Teichmuller theory via harmonic maps.

This is a comprehensive exposition of topics covered by the American Mathematical Society’s classification “Global Analysis , dealing with modern developments in calculus expressed using abstract terminology. It will be invaluable for graduate students and researchers embarking on advanced studies in mathematics and mathematical physics.This book provides a comprehensive coverage of modern global analysis and geometrical mathematical physics, dealing with topics such as; structures on manifolds, pseudogroups, Lie groupoids, and global Finsler geometry; the topology of manifolds and differentiable mappings; differential equations (including ODEs, differential systems and distributions, and spectral theory); variational theory on manifolds, with applications to physics; function spaces on manifolds; jets, natural bundles and generalizations; and non-commutative geometry. - Comprehensive coverage of modern global analysis and geometrical mathematical physics- Written by world-experts in the field- Up-to-date contents

The international summer school on Calculus of Variations and Geometric Evolution Problems was held at Cetraro, Italy, 1996. The contributions to this volume reflect quite closely the lectures given at Cetraro which have provided an image of a fairly broad field in analysis where in recent years we have seen many important contributions. Among the topics treated in the courses were variational methods for Ginzburg-Landau equations, variational models for microstructure and phase transitions, a variational treatment of the Plateau problem for surfaces of prescribed mean curvature in Riemannian manifolds - both from the classical point of view and in the setting of geometric measure theory.

Many of the modern variational problems of topology arise in different but overlapping fields of scientific study: mechanics, physics and mathematics. In this work, Professor Fomenko offers a concise and clear explanation of some of these problems (both solved and unsolved), using current methods of analytical topology. His book falls into three interrelated sections. The first gives an elementary introduction to some of the most important concepts of topology used in modern physics and mechanics: homology and cohomology, and fibration. The second investigates the significant role of Morse theory in modern aspects of the topology of smooth manifolds, particularly those of three and four dimensions. The third discusses minimal surfaces and harmonic mappings, and presents a number of classic physical experiments that lie at the foundations of modern understanding of multidimensional variational calculus. The author's skilful exposition of these topics and his own graphic illustrations give an unusual motivation to the theory expounded, and his work is recommended reading for specialists and non-specialists alike, involved in the fields of physics and mathematics at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

The third of three parts comprising Volume 54, the proceedings of the Summer Research Institute on Differential Geometry, held at the University of California, Los Angeles, July 1990 (ISBN for the set is 0-8218-1493-1). Part 3 begins with an overview by R.E. Greene of some recent trends in Riemannia