Symplectic Techniques in Physics

by Kristina D Launey (Author, Editor)

This work examines the beautiful and important physical concept known as the 'geometric phase,' bringing together different physical phenomena under a unified mathematical and physical scheme.

This textbook, pitched at the advanced-undergraduate to beginning-graduate level, focuses on mathematical topics of relevance in contemporary physics that are not usually covered in texts at the same level. The main purpose is to help students appreciate and take advantage of the modern trend of very productive symbiosis between physics and mathematics.

This book comprises an overview of twelve months of intense activity of the research group Geometry, Topology, Algebra, and Applications (GEOMVAP) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). Namely, it contains extended abstracts of the group meeting in Cardona and of the international Workshop of Women in Geometry and Topology aligned with a series of workshops in the topic. As such, it includes a panoramic view of the main research interests of the group which focus on varieties and manifolds from the algebraic, topological and differential perspective with a view towards applications.