Braids: Introductory Lectures on Braids, Configurations and Their Applications (Lecture Notes Series, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore)

This book is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking to familarize themselves with research in braid groups, configuration spaces and their applications. Starting at the beginning, and assuming only basic topology and group theory, the volume's noted expositors take the reader through the fundamental theory and on to current research and applications in fields as varied as astrophysics, cryptography and robotics. As leading researchers themselves, the authors write enthusiastically about their topics, and include many striking illustrations. The chapters have their origins in tutorials given at a Summer School on Braids, at the National University of Singapore's Institute for Mathematical Sciences in June 2007, to an audience of more than thirty international graduate students. "This book is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking to become familiar with research in braid groups, configuration spaces and their applications. Starting at the very beginning, and assuming only basic topology and group theory, the volume's noted expositors take the reader through the fundamental theory and on to current research and applications in fields as varied as astrophysics, cryptography and robotics. As leading researchers themselves, the authors write enthusiastically about their topics, with many striking illustrations." "The book's chapters had their origins in tutorials given at the Summer School on Braids, at National University of Singapore's Institute for Mathematical Sciences in June 2007, for an audience of more than thirty international graduate students, and have benefited from student feedback and updating to account for current developments." --Book Jacket Tutorial On The Braid Groups / Dale Rolfsen -- Simplicial Objects And Homotopy Groups / Jie Wu -- Introduction To Configuration Spaces And Their Applications / Frederick R. Cohen -- Configuration Spaces, Braids, And Robotics / Robert Ghrist -- Braids And Magnetic Fields / Mitchell A. Berger -- Braid Group Cryptography / David Garber. Editors, A. Jon Berrick, ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References.