Ebook: Topology, Geometry and Gauge fields: Interactions

This volume is intended to carry on the program, initiated in Topology, Geometry, and Gauge Fields: Foundations (Springer, 2010), of exploring the interrelations between particle physics and topology that arise from their shared notion of a gauge field. The text begins with a synopsis of the geometrical background assumed of the reader (manifolds, Lie groups, bundles, connections, etc.). There follows a lengthy, and somewhat informal discussion of a number of the most basic of the classical gauge theories arising in physics, including classical electromagnetic theory and Dirac monopoles, the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations and SU(2) Yang-Mills-Higgs theory. The real purpose here is to witness such things as spacetime manifolds, spinor structures, de Rham cohomology, and Chern classes arise of their own accord in meaningful physics. All of these are then developed rigorously in the remaining chapters. With the precise definitions in hand, one can, for example, fully identify magnetic charge and instanton number with the Chern numbers of the bundles on which the charge and instanton live, and uncover the obstruction to the existence of a spinor structure in the form of the second Stiefel-Whitney class. This second edition of the book includes, in an Appendix, a much expanded sketch of Seiberg-Witten gauge theory, including a brief discussion of its origins in physics and its implications for topology. To provide the reader with the opportunity to pause en route and join in the fun, there are 228 exercises, each an integral part of the development and each located at precisely the point at which it can be solved with optimal benefit.

Reviews of first edition:

“Naber’s goal is not to teach a sterile course on geometry and topology, but rather to enable us to see the subject in action, through gauge theory.” (SIAM Review)

“The presentation … is enriched by detailed discussions about the physical interpretations of connections, their curvatures and characteristic classes. I particularly enjoyed Chapter 2 where many fundamental physical examples are discussed at great length in a reader friendly fashion. No detail is left to the reader’s imagination or interpretation. I am not aware of another source where these very important examples and ideas are presented at a level accessible to beginners.” (Mathematical Reviews)

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This book covers topology and geometry beginning with an accessible account of the extraordinary and rather mysterious impact of mathematical physics, especially gauge theory, on the study of the geometry and topology of manifolds. Much of the mathematics developed in the book to study the classical field theories of physics (de Rham cohomology, Chern classes, Semi-Riemannian manifolds, Cech cohomology, spinors etc. ) is standard, but the treatment always keeps one eye on the physics and unhesitatingly sacrifices generality to clarity. The author brings the reader up to the level needed to conclude with a brief discussion of the Seiberg-Witten invariants. Although this volume can be read independently Naber carries on the program initiated in his earlier volume, Topology, Geometry and Gauge Fields: Foundations, Springer, 1997, and writes in much the same spirit with precisely the same philosophical motivation. A large number of exercises are included to encourage active participation on the part of the reader. This work will be of great interest to researchers and graduate students in the field of mathematical physics. REVIEWS OF TOPOLOGY, GEOMETRY, AND GAUGE FIELDS: FOUNDATIONS"It is unusual to find a book so carefully tailored to the needs of this interdisciplinary area of mathematical physics. . . Naber combines a knowledge of his subject with an excellent informal writing style. "NZMS NEWSLETTER". . . this book should be very interesting for mathematicians and physicists (as well as other scientists) who ae concerned with gauge theories. "ZENTRALBLATT FUER MATHEMATIK