Universitext

5 total works

Postmodern Analysis

by Jurgen Jost

Published October 2002

What is the title of this book intended to signify, what connotations is the adjective “Postmodern” meant to carry? A potential reader will surely pose this question. To answer it, I should describe what distinguishes the - proach to analysis presented here from what has by its protagonists been called “Modern Analysis”. “Modern Analysis” as represented in the works of the Bourbaki group or in the textbooks by Jean Dieudonn´ e is characterized by its systematic and axiomatic treatment and by its drive towards a high level of abstraction. Given the tendency of many prior treatises on analysis to degenerate into a collection of rather unconnected tricks to solve special problems, this de?nitely represented a healthy achievement. In any case, for the development of a consistent and powerful mathematical theory, it seems to be necessary to concentrate solely on the internal problems and structures and to neglect the relations to other ?elds of scienti?c, even of mathematical study for a certain while. Almost complete isolation may be required to reach the level of intellectual elegance and perfection that only a good mathem- ical theory can acquire. However, once this level has been reached, it can be useful to open one’s eyes again to the inspiration coming from concrete external problems.

Mathematical Methods in Biology and Neurobiology

by Jurgen Jost

Published 25 February 2014

Mathematical models can be used to meet many of the challenges and opportunities offered by modern biology. The description of biological phenomena requires a range of mathematical theories. This is the case particularly for the emerging field of systems biology. Mathematical Methods in Biology and Neurobiology introduces and develops these mathematical structures and methods in a systematic manner. It studies:

* discrete structures and graph theory
* stochastic processes
* dynamical systems and partial differential equations
* optimization and the calculus of variations.

The biological applications range from molecular to evolutionary and ecological levels, for example:

* cellular reaction kinetics and gene regulation
* biological pattern formation and chemotaxis
* the biophysics and dynamics of neurons
* the coding of information in neuronal systems
* phylogenetic tree reconstruction
* branching processes and population genetics
* optimal resource allocation
* sexual recombination
* the interaction of species.

Written by one of the most experienced and successful authors of advanced mathematical textbooks, this book stands apart for the wide range of mathematical tools that are featured. It will be useful for graduate students and researchers in mathematics and physics that want a comprehensive overview and a working knowledge of the mathematical tools that can be applied in biology. It will also be useful for biologists with some mathematical background that want to learn more about the mathematical methods available to deal with biological structures and data.

Riemannian Geometry and Geometric Analysis

by Jurgen Jost

Published June 1995

This textbook introduces techniques from nonlinear analysis at an early stage. Such techniques have recently become an indispensable tool in research in geometry, and they are treated here for the first time in a textbook. Topics include: Differentiable and Riemannian manifolds, metric properties, tensor calculus, vector bundles; the Hodge Theorem for de Rham cohomology; connections and curvature, the Yang-Mills functional; geodesics and Jacobi fields, Rauch comparison theorem and applications; Morse theory (including an introduction to algebraic topology), applications to the existence of closed geodesics; symmetric spaces and Kahler manifolds; the Palais-Smale condition and closed geodesics; Harmonic maps, minimal surfaces.

Compact Riemann Surfaces

by Jurgen Jost

Published 12 December 1996

Although Riemann surfaces are a time-honoured field, this book is novel in its broad perspective that systematically explores the connection with other fields of mathematics. It can serve as an introduction to contemporary mathematics as a whole as it develops background material from algebraic topology, differential geometry, the calculus of variations, elliptic PDE, and algebraic geometry. It is unique among textbooks on Riemann surfaces in including an introduction to Teichmuller theory. The analytic approach is likewise new as it is based on the theory of harmonic maps. For this 2nd edition the author has further improved aspects of presentation of various parts of the text.

Dynamical Systems

by Jurgen Jost

Published 1 January 2005

Breadth of scope is unique

Author is a widely-known and successful textbook author

Unlike many recent textbooks on chaotic systems that have superficial treatment, this book provides explanations of the deep underlying mathematical ideas

No technical proofs, but an introduction to the whole field that is based on the specific analysis of carefully selected examples

Includes a section on cellular automata