This book is an expanded version of the lectures given at the Nankai Mathematical Summer School in 1997. It provides an introduction to Lie groups, Lie algebras and their representations as well as introduces some directions of current research for graduate students who have little specialized knowledge in representation theory. It only assumes that the reader has a good knowledge of linear algebra and some basic knowledge of abstract algebra.Parts I-III of the book cover the relatively elementary material of representation theory of finite groups, simple Lie algebras and compact Lie groups. These theories are natural continuation of linear algebra. The last chapter of Part III includes some recent results on extension of Weyl's construction to exceptional groups. Part IV covers some advanced material on infinite-dimensional representations of non-compact groups such as the orbit method, minimal representations and dual pair correspondences, which introduces some directions of the current research in representation theory.

Very roughly speaking, representation theory studies symmetry in linear spaces. It is a beautiful mathematical subject which has many applications, ranging from number theory and combinatorics to geometry, probability theory, quantum mechanics, and quantum field theory. The goal of this book is to give a ``holistic'' introduction to representation theory, presenting it as a unified subject which studies representations of associative algebras and treating the representation theories of groups, Lie algebras, and quivers as special cases. Using this approach, the book covers a number of standard topics in the representation theories of these structures. Theoretical material in the book is supplemented by many problems and exercises which touch upon a lot of additional topics; the more difficult exercises are provided with hints. The book is designed as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. It should be accessible to students with a strong background in linear algebra and a basic knowledge of abstract algebra.

This text is devoted to mathematical structures arising in conformal field theory and the q-deformations. The authors give a self-contained exposition of the theory of Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations and related topics. No previous knowledge of physics is required. The text is suitable for a one-semester graduate course and is intended for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in mathematical physics.

Six leading experts lecture on a wide spectrum of recent results on the subject of the title. They present a survey of various interactions between representation theory and harmonic analysis on semisimple groups and symmetric spaces, and recall the concept of amenability. They further illustrate how representation theory is related to quantum computing; and much more. Taken together, this volume provides both a solid reference and deep insights on current research activity.

Introducing finite-dimensional representations of Lie groups and Lie algebras, this example-oriented book works from representation theory of finite groups, through Lie groups and Lie algrbras to the finite dimensional representations of the classical groups.

This graduate-level text provides a thorough grounding in the representation theory of finite groups over fields and rings. The book provides a balanced and comprehensive account of the subject, detailing the methods needed to analyze representations that arise in many areas of mathematics. Key topics include the construction and use of character tables, the role of induction and restriction, projective and simple modules for group algebras, indecomposable representations, Brauer characters, and block theory. This classroom-tested text provides motivation through a large number of worked examples, with exercises at the end of each chapter that test the reader's knowledge, provide further examples and practice, and include results not proven in the text. Prerequisites include a graduate course in abstract algebra, and familiarity with the properties of groups, rings, field extensions, and linear algebra.

This book is intended to present group representation theory at a level accessible to mature undergraduate students and beginning graduate students. This is achieved by mainly keeping the required background to the level of undergraduate linear algebra, group theory and very basic ring theory. Module theory and Wedderburn theory, as well as tensor products, are deliberately avoided. Instead, we take an approach based on discrete Fourier Analysis. Applications to the spectral theory of graphs are given to help the student appreciate the usefulness of the subject. A number of exercises are included. This book is intended for a 3rd/4th undergraduate course or an introductory graduate course on group representation theory. However, it can also be used as a reference for workers in all areas of mathematics and statistics.

"[Lectures in Lie Groups] fulfills its aim admirably and should be a useful reference for any mathematician who would like to learn the basic results for compact Lie groups. . . . The book is a well written basic text [and Adams] has done a service to the mathematical community."—Irving Kaplansky

The primary goal of this 2003 book is to give a brief introduction to the main ideas of algebraic and geometric invariant theory. It assumes only a minimal background in algebraic geometry, algebra and representation theory. Topics covered include the symbolic method for computation of invariants on the space of homogeneous forms, the problem of finite-generatedness of the algebra of invariants, the theory of covariants and constructions of categorical and geometric quotients. Throughout, the emphasis is on concrete examples which originate in classical algebraic geometry. Based on lectures given at University of Michigan, Harvard University and Seoul National University, the book is written in an accessible style and contains many examples and exercises. A novel feature of the book is a discussion of possible linearizations of actions and the variation of quotients under the change of linearization. Also includes the construction of toric varieties as torus quotients of affine spaces.

Character theory is a powerful tool for understanding finite groups. In particular, the theory has been a key ingredient in the classification of finite simple groups. Characters are also of interest in their own right, and their properties are closely related to properties of the structure of the underlying group. The book begins by developing the module theory of complex group algebras. After the module-theoretic foundations are laid in the first chapter, the focus is primarily on characters. This enhances the accessibility of the material for students, which was a major consideration in the writing. Also with students in mind, a large number of problems are included, many of them quite challenging. In addition to the development of the basic theory (using a cleaner notation than previously), a number of more specialized topics are covered with accessible presentations. These include projective representations, the basics of the Schur index, irreducible character degrees and group structure, complex linear groups, exceptional characters, and a fairly extensive introduction to blocks and Brauer characters. This is a corrected reprint of the original 1976 version, later reprinted by Dover. Since 1976 it has become the standard reference for character theory, appearing in the bibliography of almost every research paper in the subject. It is largely self-contained, requiring of the reader only the most basic facts of linear algebra, group theory, Galois theory and ring and module theory.