Topology for Physicists (Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften)

Topology for Physicists (Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften)

In recent years topology has firmly established itself as an important part of the physicist's mathematical arsenal. It has many applications, first of all in quantum field theory, but increasingly also in other areas of physics. This book is devoted to the exposition of topology in a form easily accessible to physicists. It will be also useful to mathematicians who would like to apply topology in their work, without specialising in this discipline. The author, a topologist turned mathematical physicist has contributed many results to quantum field theory using topological methods, and is thus eminently qualified to write a book such as this. "This volume, written by someone who has made many significant contributions to mathematical physics, not least to the present dialogue between mathematicians and physicists, aims to present some of the basic material in algebraic topology at the level of a fairly sophisticated theoretical physics graduate student. The most important topics, covering spaces, homotopy and homology theory, degree theory fibrations and a little about Lie groups are treated at a brisk pace and informal level. Personally I found the style congenial.(...) extremely useful as background or supplementary material for a graduate course on geometry and physics and would also be useful to those contemplating giving such a course. (...)" Contemporary Physics, A. Schwarz GL 308