Tau Functions and their Applications
Tau Functions and their Applications
Ferenc Balogh, John Abbott College, Montréal
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Tau functions are a central tool in the modern theory of integrable systems. This volume provides a thorough introduction, starting from the basics and extending to recent research results. It covers a wide range of applications, including generating functions for solutions of integrable hierarchies, correlation functions in the spectral theory of random matrices and combinatorial generating functions for enumerative geometrical and topological invariants. A self-contained summary of more advanced topics needed to understand the material is provided, as are solutions and hints for the various exercises and problems that are included throughout the text to enrich the subject matter and engage the reader. Building on knowledge of standard topics in undergraduate mathematics and basic concepts and methods of classical and quantum mechanics, this monograph is ideal for graduate students and researchers who wish to become acquainted with the full range of applications of the theory of tau functions.
- A comprehensive introduction to tau functions, the key to a very active and important field of current research
- Applications are provided for many areas of mathematical and theoretical physics, including integrable systems, the spectral theory of random matrices, generating functions in geometry and topology, and partition functions in statistical mechanics
- This is the only monograph surveying the field
Reviews & endorsements
'This book is a magnificent handbook on the applications of the Ï„ -functions.' Dimitar A. Kolev, zbMATH
Product details
January 2021Adobe eBook Reader
9781316999929
0 pages
17 b/w illus.
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- List of symbols
- 1. Examples
- 2. KP flows and the Sato-Segal-Wilson Grassmannian
- 3. The KP hierarchy and its standard reductions
- 4. Infinite dimensional Grassmannians
- 5. Fermionic representation of tau functions and Baker functions
- 6. Finite dimensional reductions of the infinite Grassmannian and their associated tau functions
- 7. Other related integrable hierarchies
- 8. Convolution symmetries
- 9. Isomonodromic deformations
- 10. Integrable integral operators and dual isomonodromic deformations
- 11. Random matrix models I. Partition functions and correlators
- 12. Random matrix models II. Level spacings
- 13. Generating functions for characters, intersection indices and Brézin-Hikami matrix models
- 14. Generating functions for weighted Hurwitz numbers: enumeration of branched coverings
- Appendix A. Integer partitions
- Appendix B. Determinantal and Pfaffian identities
- Appendix C. Grassmann manifolds and flag manifolds
- Appendix D. Symmetric functions
- Appendix E. Finite dimensional fermions: Clifford and Grassmann algebras, spinors, isotropic Grassmannians
- Appendix F. Riemann surfaces, holomorphic differentials and theta functions
- Appendix G. Orthogonal polynomials
- Appendix H. Solutions of selected exercises
- References
- Alphabetical Index.
