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K-theory
In mathematics, K-theory is, roughly speaking, the study of a ring generated by vector bundles over a topological space or scheme. In algebraic topology, it is a cohomology theory known as topological K-theory. In algebra and algebraic geometry, it is referred to as algebraic K-theory. It is also a fundamental tool in the field of operator algebras. It can be seen as the study of certain kinds of invariants of large matrices. K-theory involves the construction of families of ''K''-functors that map from topological spaces or schemes to associated rings; these rings reflect some aspects of the structure of the original spaces or schemes. As with functors to groups in algebraic topology, the reason for this functorial mapping is that it is easier to compute some topological properties from the mapped rings than from the original spaces or schemes. Examples of results gleaned from the K-theory approach include the Grothendieck–Riemann–Roch theorem, Bott periodicity, the Atiya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
K-theory (physics)
In string theory, K-theory classification refers to a conjectured application of K-theory (in abstract algebra and algebraic topology) to superstrings, to classify the allowed Ramond–Ramond field strengths as well as the charges of stable D-branes. In condensed matter physics K-theory has also found important applications, specially in the topological classification of topological insulators, superconductors and stable Fermi surfaces (, ). History This conjecture, applied to D-brane charges, was first proposed by . It was popularized by who demonstrated that in type IIB string theory arises naturally from Ashoke Sen's realization of arbitrary D-brane configurations as stacks of D9 and anti-D9-branes after tachyon condensation. Such stacks of branes are inconsistent in a non-torsion Neveu–Schwarz (NS) 3-form background, which, as was highlighted by , complicates the extension of the K-theory classification to such cases. suggested a solution to this problem: D-branes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Algebraic K-theory
Algebraic ''K''-theory is a subject area in mathematics with connections to geometry, topology, ring theory, and number theory. Geometric, algebraic, and arithmetic objects are assigned objects called ''K''-groups. These are groups in the sense of abstract algebra. They contain detailed information about the original object but are notoriously difficult to compute; for example, an important outstanding problem is to compute the ''K''-groups of the integers. ''K''-theory was discovered in the late 1950s by Alexander Grothendieck in his study of intersection theory on algebraic varieties. In the modern language, Grothendieck defined only ''K''0, the zeroth ''K''-group, but even this single group has plenty of applications, such as the Grothendieck–Riemann–Roch theorem. Intersection theory is still a motivating force in the development of (higher) algebraic ''K''-theory through its links with motivic cohomology and specifically Chow groups. The subject also includes classical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twisted K-theory
In mathematics, twisted K-theory (also called K-theory with local coefficients) is a variation on K-theory, a mathematical theory from the 1950s that spans algebraic topology, abstract algebra and operator theory. More specifically, twisted K-theory with twist ''H'' is a particular variant of K-theory, in which the twist is given by an integral 3-dimensional cohomology class. It is special among the various twists that K-theory admits for two reasons. First, it admits a geometric formulation. This was provided in two steps; the first one was done in 1970 (Publ. Math. de l' IHÉS) by Peter Donovan and Max Karoubi; the second one in 1988 by Jonathan Rosenberg iContinuous-Trace Algebras from the Bundle Theoretic Point of View In physics, it has been conjectured to classify D-branes, Ramond-Ramond field strengths and in some cases even spinors in type II string theory. For more information on twisted K-theory in string theory, see K-theory (physics). In the broader context of K- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramond–Ramond Field
In theoretical physics, Ramond–Ramond fields are differential form fields in the 10-dimensional spacetime of type II supergravity theories, which are the classical limits of type II string theory. The ranks of the fields depend on which type II theory is considered. As Joseph Polchinski argued in 1995, D-branes are the charged objects that act as sources for these fields, according to the rules of p-form electrodynamics. It has been conjectured that quantum RR fields are not differential forms, but instead are classified by twisted K-theory. The adjective "Ramond–Ramond" reflects the fact that in the RNS formalism, these fields appear in the Ramond–Ramond sector in which all vector fermions are periodic. Both uses of the word "Ramond" refer to Pierre Ramond, who studied such boundary conditions (the so-called Ramond boundary conditions) and the fields that satisfy them in 1971. Defining the fields The fields in each theory As in Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atiyah–Singer Index Theorem
In differential geometry, the Atiyah–Singer index theorem, proved by Michael Atiyah and Isadore Singer (1963), states that for an elliptic differential operator on a compact manifold, the analytical index (related to the dimension of the space of solutions) is equal to the topological index (defined in terms of some topological data). It includes many other theorems, such as the Chern–Gauss–Bonnet theorem and Riemann–Roch theorem, as special cases, and has applications to theoretical physics. History The index problem for elliptic differential operators was posed by Israel Gel'fand. He noticed the homotopy invariance of the index, and asked for a formula for it by means of topological invariants. Some of the motivating examples included the Riemann–Roch theorem and its generalization the Hirzebruch–Riemann–Roch theorem, and the Hirzebruch signature theorem. Friedrich Hirzebruch and Armand Borel had proved the integrality of the  genus of a spin mani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Topological K-theory
In mathematics, topological -theory is a branch of algebraic topology. It was founded to study vector bundles on topological spaces, by means of ideas now recognised as (general) K-theory that were introduced by Alexander Grothendieck. The early work on topological -theory is due to Michael Atiyah and Friedrich Hirzebruch. Definitions Let be a compact Hausdorff space and k= \R or \Complex. Then K_k(X) is defined to be the Grothendieck group of the commutative monoid of isomorphism classes of finite-dimensional -vector bundles over under Whitney sum. Tensor product of bundles gives -theory a commutative ring structure. Without subscripts, K(X) usually denotes complex -theory whereas real -theory is sometimes written as KO(X). The remaining discussion is focused on complex -theory. As a first example, note that the -theory of a point is the integers. This is because vector bundles over a point are trivial and thus classified by their rank and the Grothendieck group of the natur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vector Bundles
In mathematics, a vector bundle is a topological construction that makes precise the idea of a family of vector spaces parameterized by another space X (for example X could be a topological space, a manifold, or an algebraic variety): to every point x of the space X we associate (or "attach") a vector space V(x) in such a way that these vector spaces fit together to form another space of the same kind as X (e.g. a topological space, manifold, or algebraic variety), which is then called a vector bundle over X. The simplest example is the case that the family of vector spaces is constant, i.e., there is a fixed vector space V such that V(x)=V for all x in X: in this case there is a copy of V for each x in X and these copies fit together to form the vector bundle X\times V over X. Such vector bundles are said to be ''trivial''. A more complicated (and prototypical) class of examples are the tangent bundles of smooth (or differentiable) manifolds: to every point of such a manifold ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cohomology Theory
In mathematics, specifically in homology theory and algebraic topology, cohomology is a general term for a sequence of abelian groups, usually one associated with a topological space, often defined from a cochain complex. Cohomology can be viewed as a method of assigning richer algebraic invariants to a space than homology. Some versions of cohomology arise by dualizing the construction of homology. In other words, cochains are functions on the group of chains in homology theory. From its beginning in topology, this idea became a dominant method in the mathematics of the second half of the twentieth century. From the initial idea of homology as a method of constructing algebraic invariants of topological spaces, the range of applications of homology and cohomology theories has spread throughout geometry and algebra. The terminology tends to hide the fact that cohomology, a contravariant theory, is more natural than homology in many applications. At a basic level, this has to do wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grothendieck–Riemann–Roch Theorem
In mathematics, specifically in algebraic geometry, the Grothendieck–Riemann–Roch theorem is a far-reaching result on coherent cohomology. It is a generalisation of the Hirzebruch–Riemann–Roch theorem, about complex manifolds, which is itself a generalisation of the classical Riemann–Roch theorem for line bundles on compact Riemann surfaces. Riemann–Roch type theorems relate Euler characteristics of the cohomology of a vector bundle with their topological degrees, or more generally their characteristic classes in (co)homology or algebraic analogues thereof. The classical Riemann–Roch theorem does this for curves and line bundles, whereas the Hirzebruch–Riemann–Roch theorem generalises this to vector bundles over manifolds. The Grothendieck–Riemann–Roch theorem sets both theorems in a relative situation of a morphism between two manifolds (or more general schemes) and changes the theorem from a statement about a single bundle, to one applying to chain c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adams Operation
In mathematics, an Adams operation, denoted ψ''k'' for natural numbers ''k'', is a cohomology operation in topological K-theory, or any allied operation in algebraic K-theory or other types of algebraic construction, defined on a pattern introduced by Frank Adams. The basic idea is to implement some fundamental identities in symmetric function theory, at the level of vector bundles or other representing object in more abstract theories. Adams operations can be defined more generally in any λ-ring. Adams operations in K-theory Adams operations ψ''k'' on K theory (algebraic or topological) are characterized by the following properties. # ψ''k'' are ring homomorphisms. # ψ''k''(l)= lk if l is the class of a line bundle. # ψ''k'' are functorial. The fundamental idea is that for a vector bundle ''V'' on a topological space ''X'', there is an analogy between Adams operators and exterior powers, in which :ψ''k''(''V'') is to Λ''k''(''V'') as :the power sum Σ α''k'' i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bott Periodicity
In mathematics, the Bott periodicity theorem describes a periodicity in the homotopy groups of classical groups, discovered by , which proved to be of foundational significance for much further research, in particular in K-theory of stable complex vector bundles, as well as the stable homotopy groups of spheres. Bott periodicity can be formulated in numerous ways, with the periodicity in question always appearing as a period-2 phenomenon, with respect to dimension, for the theory associated to the unitary group. See for example topological K-theory. There are corresponding period-8 phenomena for the matching theories, ( real) KO-theory and (quaternionic) KSp-theory, associated to the real orthogonal group and the quaternionic symplectic group, respectively. The J-homomorphism is a homomorphism from the homotopy groups of orthogonal groups to stable homotopy groups of spheres, which causes the period 8 Bott periodicity to be visible in the stable homotopy groups of spheres. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
D-branes
In string theory, D-branes, short for ''Dirichlet membrane'', are a class of extended objects upon which open strings can end with Dirichlet boundary conditions, after which they are named. D-branes were discovered by Jin Dai, Leigh, and Polchinski, and independently by Hořava, in 1989. In 1995, Polchinski identified D-branes with black p-brane solutions of supergravity, a discovery that triggered the Second Superstring Revolution and led to both holographic and M-theory dualities. D-branes are typically classified by their spatial dimension, which is indicated by a number written after the ''D.'' A D0-brane is a single point, a D1-brane is a line (sometimes called a "D-string"), a D2-brane is a plane, and a D25-brane fills the highest-dimensional space considered in bosonic string theory. There are also instantonic D(–1)-branes, which are localized in both space and time. Theoretical background The equations of motion of string theory require that the endpoints ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
