THEODORE W. PALMER / University of Oregon

Banach Algebras and the General Theory of *-Algebras

 Description: This is the second volume of a two-volume set that provides a modern account of basic Banach algebra theory including all known results on general Banach *-algebras. The author emphasizes the roles of *-algebra structure and explores the algebraic results which underlie the theory of Banach algebras and *-algebras. Proofs are presented in complete detail at a level accessible to graduate students. The books will become the standard reference for the general theory of *-algebras. This second volume deals with *-algebras. Chapter 9 develops the theory of *-algebras without additional restrictions. Chapter 10 proves nearly all the results previously known for Banach *-algebras and hermitian Banach *-algebras for *-algebras with various essentially algebraic restrictions. Chapter 11 restates the previous results in terms of Banach *-algebras and uses them to prove results explicitly involving the complete norm. Chapter 12 is devoted to locally compact groups and the  *-algebras related to them.

 Contents: 9. *-algebras; 10. Special *-algebras; 11. Banach *-algebras; 12. Locally compact groups and their *-algebras.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521366380 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 1 May 2000

 Main Subject Category: Mathematics - analysis, probability
 Series: Encyclopedia of Mathematics and its Applications


P. E. HYDON /  University of Surrey

Symmetry Methods for Differential Equations

 Description: Symmetry is the key to solving differential equations. There are many well-known techniques for obtaining exact Solutions, but most of them are special cases of a few powerful symmetry methods. Furthermore, these methods can be applied to differential equations of an unfamiliar type; they do not rely on special 'tricks'. Instead, a given differential equation is forced to reveal its symmetries, which are then used to construct exact solutions. This book is a straightforward introduction to the subject, and is aimed at applied mathematicians, physicists, and engineers. The presentation is informal, using many worked examples to illustrate the main symmetry methods. It is written at a level suitable for postgraduates and advanced undergraduates, and is designed to enable the reader to master the main techniques quickly and easily. The book contains methods that have not previously appeared in a text. These include methods for obtaining discrete symmetries and integrating  factors.

 Contents: 1. Introduction to symmetries; 1.1. Symmetries of planar objects; 1.2. Symmetries of the simplest ODE; 1.3. The symmetry condition for first-order ODEs; 1.4. Lie symmetries solve first-order ODEs; 2. Lie symmetries of first order ODEs; 2.1. The action of Lie symmetries on the plane; 2.2. Canonical coordinates; 2.3. How to solve ODEs with Lie symmetries; 2.4. The linearized symmetry condition; 2.5. Symmetries and standard methods; 2.6. The infinitesimal generator; 3. How to find Lie point symmetries of ODEs; 3.1 The symmetry condition. 3.2. The determining equations for Lie point symmetries; 3.3. Linear ODEs; 3.4. Justification of the symmetry condition; 4. How to use a one-parameter Lie group; 4.1. Reduction of order using canonical coordinates; 4.2. Variational symmetries; 4.3. Invariant solutions; 5. Lie symmetries with several parameters; 5.1. Differential invariants and reduction of order; 5.2. The Lie algebra of point symmetry generators; 5.3. Stepwise integration of  ODEs; 6. Solution of ODEs with multi-parameter Lie groups; 6.1 The basic method: exploiting solvability; 6.2. New symmetries obtained during reduction; 6.3. Integration of third-order ODEs with sl(2); 7. Techniques based on first integrals; 7.1. First integrals derived from symmetries; 7.2. Contact symmetries and dynamical symmetries; 7.3. Integrating factors; 7.4. Systems of ODEs; 8. How to obtain Lie point symmetries of PDEs; 8.1. Scalar PDEs with two dependent variables; 8.2. The linearized symmetry condition for general PDEs; 8.3. Finding symmetries by computer algebra; 9. Methods for obtaining exact solutions of PDEs; 9.1. Group-invariant solutions; 9.2. New solutions from known ones; 9.3. Nonclassical symmetries; 10. Classification of invariant solutions; 10.1. Equivalence of invariant solutions; 10.2. How to classify symmetry generators; 10.3. Optimal systems of invariant solutions; 11. Discrete symmetries; 11.1. Some uses of discrete symmetries; 11.2. How to obtain discrete  symmetries from Lie symmetries; 11.3. Classification of discrete symmetries; 11.4. Examples.

ISBN, Binding, : 0521497035 Hardback
ISBN, Binding, : 0521497868 Paperback 5
 Approximate Publication date: 20 March 2000

 Main Subject Category: Applied mathematics, mathematical physics
 Series: Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics, 22


GORDON FRASER /  Conseil European de Recherches Nuclaires, Geneva

Antimatter, the Ultimate Mirror

 Description: In 1928 the physicist Paul Dirac predicted the existence of antimatter in a mirror world, where the electrical charges on particles would be opposite to those of ordinary matter. This mirror world is found, fleetingly, at the quantum level, with positrons the counterpart of electrons, and antiprotons the opposite of protons. This book introduces the Lewis Carroll world of antimatter without using technical language or equations. The author shows how the quest for symmetry in physics slowly revealed the properties of antimatter. When large particle accelerators came on line, the antimatter debris of collisions provided new clues on its properties. This is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.

 Contents: 1. Science fiction becomes science fact; 2. Mirror worlds; 3. An imbalanced kit of electrical parts; 4. The quantum master; 5. Positive proof; 6. The back passage of time; 7. The quark and the antiquark; 8. Broken mirrors; 9. The cosmic corkscrew; 10. Antiparticle collision course; 11. Setting a trap for antimatter; 12. Glue versus antichemistry; 13. Antimatter in action; 14. Antimatter of the utmost gravity.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521652529 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 2 May 2000
 Main Subject Category: Physics (general)


 DAN GREEN /  Fermilab, Batavia

The Physics of Particle Detectors

 Description: This text provides a comprehensive introduction to the physical principles and design of particle detectors, covering all major detector types in use today. The book begins with a reprise of the size and energy scales involved in different physical processes. It then considers non-destructive methods, including the photoelectric effect, photomultipliers, scintillators, Cerenkov and transition radiation, scattering and ionisation and the use of magnetic fields in drift and wire chambers. A complete chapter is devoted to silicon detectors. In the final part of the book, the author discusses destructive measurement techniques including Thompson and Compton scattering, Bremsstrahlung and calorimetry. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on explaining the physical principles on which detection is based, and showing, by considering appropriate examples, how those principles are best utilised in real detectors. This approach also reveals the limitations that are intrinsic to  different devices. Exercises and detailed further reading lists are included.

 Contents: Part I. Introduction: 1. Size, energy, cross section; Part II. Non-Destructive Measurements: Part II. A. Time and Velocity: 2. The photoelectric effect, photomultipliers, scintillators; 3. Cerenkov radiation; 4. Transition radiation; Part II. B. Scattering and Ionization: 5. Elastic EM scattering; 6. Ionization; Part II. C. Position and Momentum: 7. Magnetic fields; 8. Drift and diffusion in materials, wire chambers; 9. SI detectors; Part III. Destructive Measurements: Part III. A. Radiation: 10. Radiation and photon scattering; Part III. B. Energy Measurements: 11. EM Calorimetry; 12. Hadronic calorimetry; Part IV. The Complete Set of Measurements: 13. Summary; Appendices.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521662265 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 6 June 2000
 Main Subject Category: Nuclear physics, cosmology
 Series: Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology, 12


HARUZO HIDA /  University of California, Los Angeles

Modular Forms and Galois Cohomology

 Description: This book provides a comprehensive account of a key (and perhaps the most important) theory upon which the Taylor-Wiles proof of Fermat's last theorem is based. The book begins with an overview of the theory of automorphic forms on linear algebraic groups and then covers the basic theory and recent results on elliptic modular forms, including a substantial simplification of the Taylor-Wiles proof by Fujiwara and Diamond. It contains a detailed exposition of the representation theory of profinite groups (including deformation theory), as well as the Euler characteristic formulas of Galois cohomology groups. The final chapter presents a proof of a non-abelian class number formula and includes several new results from the author. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in number theory (including algebraic and analytic number theorists) and arithmetic algebraic geometry.

 Contents: Preface; 1. Overview of modular forms; 2. Representations of a group; 3. Representations and modular forms; 4. Galois cohomology; 5. Modular L-values and Selmer groups; Bibliography; Subject index; List of statements; List of symbols.

 ISBN, Binding, : 052177036X Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 24 May 2000
 Main Subject Category: Number theory
 Series: Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics, 69

 
 Comparable titles: LAUMON/Cohomology of Drinfeld Modular Varieties v1/1995/0521 470609
 LAUMON/Cohomology of Drinfeld Modular Varieties v2/1997/0521 470617
 KLINGEN/Lectures on Siegel Modular Forms/1990/0521 350522
 HIDA/Elementary Theory of L-functions and Eisenstein Series/1993/0521 434114


BERNARD CHAZELLE /  Princeton University, New Jersey

The Discrepancy Method

 Randomness and Complexity

 Description: The discrepancy method is the glue that binds randomness and complexity. It is the link between discrepancy theory, an area of mathematics concerned with irregularities in distributions, and the seemingly unrelated subject of randomized algorithms. The discrepancy method has been the most fruitful line of attack on a pivotal computer science question: what is the computational power of random bits? It has also played a major role in recent developments in complexity theory. This books tells the story of the discrepancy method in a few short independent vignettes. The itinerary includes such topics as communication complexity, rapidly mixing Markov chains, points on a sphere, derandomization, geometric sampling and VC-dimension theory, circuit complexity, and multidimensional searching. The mathematical treatment is thorough and self-contained, with minimal prerequisites. Thus the book should appeal to students as well as researchers in computer science, operations  research, pure and applied mathematics, and engineering.

 Contents: 1. Combinatorial discrepancy; 2. Upper bounds in geometric discrepancy; 3. Lower bounds in geometric discrepancy; 4. Sampling; 5. Geometric searching; 6. Complexity lower bounds; 7. Convex hulls and Voronoi diagrams; 8. Linear programming and extensions; 9. Pseudo-randomness; 10. Communication complexity; 11. Minimum spanning trees; Appendix A. Probability theory; Appendix B. Harmonic analysis; Appendix C. Convex geometry.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521770939 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 11 July 2000
 Main Subject Category: Theory of computation, data
  Comparable titles: MOTWANI and RAGHAVAN/Randomized Algorithms/1995/0521 474655


EDITED BY GARY T. LEAVENS /  Iowa State University
AND MURALI SITARAMAN / West Virginia University

Foundations of Component-Based Systems

 Description: This collection of articles by well-known experts is intended for researchers in computer science, practitioners of formal methods, and computer programmers working in safety-critical applications or in the technology of component-based systems. The work brings together, for the first time, several elements of this area that are fast becoming the focus of much current research and practice in computing. The introduction by Clemens Szyperski gives a snapshot of current research in the field. About half the articles deal with theoretical frameworks, models, and systems of notation; the rest of the book concentrates on case studies by researchers who have built prototype systems and present findings on architectures verification. The emphasis is on advances in the technological infrastructure of component-based systems; how to design and specify reusable components; and how to reason about, verify, and validate systems from components. Thus the book shows how theory might move into practice.

 Contents: Introduction: component software - a snapshot and future directions Clemens Szyperski; Part I. Frameworks and Architectures: 1. Key concepts in architecture definition languages David C. Luckham, James Vera and Sigurd Meldal; 2. Acme: a basis for architectural integration David Garlan, Robert Monroe and David Wile; 3. An extensible language for composition Markus Lumpe, Franz Achermann, and Oscar Nierstrasz; 4. A framework for a formal and automated approach to component-based reuse Betty H. C. Cheng and Yonghao Chen; Part II. Object-Based Specification and Verification: 5. Behavioral subtyping Gary T. Leavens and Krishna Kishore Dhara; 6. Modular specification and verification techniques for object-oriented software components Peter Mueller and Arnd Poetzsch-Heffter; 7. Respectful type converters for objects Jeannette M. Wing and John Ockerbloom; Part III. Formal Models and Semantics: 8. A formal model of componentware Klaus Bergner, Manfred Broy, Andreas Rausch, Marc  Sihling and Alexander Vilbig; 9. General semantic spaces for specifications and templates David S. Gibson, Bruce W. Weide, Steven H. Edwards and Scott Pike; 10. An implementation-oriented semantics for module composition Joseph Goguen and Will Tracz; Part IV. Reactive and Distributed Systems: 11. Composition of reactive system components K. Lano, J. Bicarregui, T. Maibaum and J. Fiadeiro; 12. The IOA language and toolset: support for mathematics-based distributed programming Stephen J. Garland and Nancy A. Lynch.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521771641 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 17 March 2000
 Main Subject Category: Computer software


NELLO CRISTIANINI / University of Bristol
AND JOHN SHAWE-TAYLOR /
 Royal Holloway, University of London

An Introduction to Support Vector Machines

 And Other Kernel-based Learning Methods
 
 Description: This is the first comprehensive introduction to Support Vector Machines (SVMs), a new generation learning system based on recent advances in statistical learning theory. SVMs deliver state-of-the-art performance in real-world applications such as text categorisation, hand-written character recognition, image classification, biosequences analysis, etc., and are now established as one of the standard tools for machine learning and data mining. Students will find the book both stimulating and accessible, while practitioners will be guided smoothly through the material required for a good grasp of the theory and its applications. The concepts are introduced gradually in accessible and self-contained stages, while the presentation is rigorous and thorough. Pointers to relevant literature and web sites containing software ensure that it forms an ideal starting point for further study. Equally, the book and its associated web site will guide practitioners to updated literature,  new applications, and on-line software.

 Contents: Preface; 1. The learning methodology; 2. Linear learning machines; 3. Kernel-induced feature spaces; 4. Generalisation theory; 5. Optimisation theory; 6. Support vector machines; 7. Implementation techniques; 8. Applications of support vector machines; Appendix 1. Pseudocode for the SMO algorithm; Appendix 2. Background mathematics; Appendix 3. Glossary; Appendix 4. Notation; Bibliography; Index.

 ISBN, Binding,  0521780195 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 4 February 2000
 Main Subject Category: Computer applications

 


STEVEN WEINBERG / University of Texas, Austin

The Quantum Theory of Fields 3 volume set

 Description: In The Quantum Theory of Fields, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines his exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition to provide a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-date introduction to quantum field theory. The first volume introduces the foundations of quantum field theory, the second volume examines modern applications, and finally the third volume presents supersymmetry, an area of theoretical physics likely to be at the centre of progress in the physics of elementary particles and gravitation. The development is fresh and logical, with each step carefully motivated by what has gone before. The presentation of modern mathematical methods is throughout interwoven with accounts of applications in both elementary particle and condensed matter physics. The three volumes contain much original material, and are peppered with examples and insights drawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementary particle research. Problems are  included at the end of each chapter.

 Contents: Volume I: 1. Historical introduction; 2. Relativistic quantum mechanics; 3. Scattering theory; 4. The cluster decomposition principle; 5. Quantum fields and antiparticles; 6. The Feynman rules; 7. The canonical formalism; 8. Massless particles: electrodynamics; 9. Path integral methods; 10. Nonperturbative methods; 11. One-loop radiative corrections in quantum electrodynamics; 12. General renormalization theory; 13. Infrared effects; 14. Bound states in external fields.
 Volume II: 15. Non-Abelian gauge theories; 16. External field methods; 17. Renormalization of gauge theories; 18. Renormalization group methods; 19. Spontaneously broken global symmetries; 20. Operator product expansions; 21. Spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetries; 22. Anomalies; 23. Topological complications; Subject index; Author index.
 Volume III: 24. Historical introduction; 25. Supersymmetry algebras; 26. Supersymmetric field theories; 27. Supersymmetric gauge theories; 28. Supersymmetric versions of the standard model; 29. Beyond perturbation theory; 30. Supergraphs; 31. Supergravity; 32. Supersymmetry in higher dimensions; Author index; Subject index.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521780829 3 volume set

 Approximate Publication date: 1 February 2000


OLLE STORMARK / Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

Lie's Structural Approach to PDE Systems

 Description: This book provides a lucid and comprehensive introduction to the differential geometric study of partial differential equations. It is the first book to present substantial results on local solvability of general and, in particular, nonlinear PDE systems without using power series techniques. The book describes a general approach to systems of partial differential equations based on ideas developed by Lie, Cartan and Vessiot. The most basic question is that of local solvability, but the methods used also yield classifications of various families of PDE systems. The central idea is the exploitation of singular vector field systems and their first integrals. These considerations naturally lead to local Lie groups, Lie pseudogroups and the equivalence problem, all of which are covered in detail. This book will be a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers in partial differential equations, Lie groups and related fields.

 Contents: Preface; 1. Introduction and summary; 2. PDE systems, pfaffian systems and vector field systems; 3. Cartan's local existence theorem; 4. Involutivity and the prolongation theorem; 5. Drach's classification, second order PDEs in one dependent variable and Monge characteristics; 6. Integration of vector field systems n satisfying dim n' = dim n + 1; 7. Higher order contact transformations; 8. Local Lie groups; 9. Structural classification of 3-dimensional Lie algebras over the complex numbers; 10. Lie equations and Lie vector field systems; 11. Second order PDEs in one dependent and two independent variables; 12. Hyperbolic PDEs with Monge systems admitting 2 or 3 first integrals; 13. Classification of hyperbolic Goursat equations; 14. Cartan's theory of Lie pseudogroups; 15. The equivalence problem; 16. Parabolic PDEs for which the Monge system admits at least two first integrals; 17. The equivalence problem for general 3-dimensional pfaffian systems in five variables; 18.  Involutive second order PDE systems in one dependent and three independent variables, solved by the method of Monge; Bibliography; Index.

 ISBN, Binding, : 0521780888 Hardback
 Approximate Publication date: 1 May 2000
 Main Subject Category: Dynamics, Control, Differential & Integral Equations
 Series: Encyclopedia of Mathematics and its Applications, 80