The theory of hyperbolic groups has its starting point in a fundamental paper by M. Gromov, published in 1987. These are finitely generated groups that share important properties with negatively curved Riemannian manifolds. This monograph is intended to be an introduction to part of Gromov's theory, giving basic definitions, some of the most important examples, various properties of hyperbolic groups, and an application to the construction of infinite torsion groups. The main theme is the relevance of geometric ideas to the understanding of finitely generated groups. In addition to chapters written by the editors, contributions by W. Ballmann, A. Haefliger, E. Salem, R. Strebel, and M. Troyanov are also included. The book will be particularly useful to researchers in combinatorial group theory, Riemannian geometry, and theoretical physics, as well as post-graduate students interested in these fields.

The volume consists of a set of surveys on geometry in the broad sense. The goal is to present a certain number of research topics in a non-technical and appealing manner. The topics surveyed include spherical geometry, the geometry of finite-dimensional normed spaces, metric geometry (Bishop—Gromov type inequalities in Gromov-hyperbolic spaces), convexity theory and inequalities involving volumes and mixed volumes of convex bodies, 4-dimensional topology, Teichmüller spaces and mapping class groups actions, translation surfaces and their dynamics, and complex higher-dimensional geometry. Several chapters are based on lectures given by their authors to middle-advanced level students and young researchers. The whole book is intended to be an introduction to current research trends in geometry.

This volume contains thoroughly revised versions of the contributions presented at the French Spring School of Theoretical Computer Science, held in Font Romeu, France in May 1993. This seminar was devoted to rewriting in a broad sense, as rewriting is now an important discipline, relating to many other areas such as formal languages, models of concurrency, tree automata, functional programming languages, constraints, symbolic computation, and automated deduction. The book includes a number of surveys contributed by senior researchers as well as a few papers presenting original research of relevance for the broader theoretical computer science community.

These proceedings of 'Groups St Andrews 2017' provide a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in contemporary group theory.

This text presents the basic theory of random walks on infinite, finitely generated groups, along with certain background material in measure-theoretic probability. The main objective is to show how structural features of a group, such as amenability/nonamenability, affect qualitative aspects of symmetric random walks on the group, such as transience/recurrence, speed, entropy, and existence or nonexistence of nonconstant, bounded harmonic functions. The book will be suitable as a textbook for beginning graduate-level courses or independent study by graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in mathematics with a solid grounding in measure theory and a basic familiarity with the elements of group theory. The first seven chapters could also be used as the basis for a short course covering the main results regarding transience/recurrence, decay of return probabilities, and speed. The book has been organized and written so as to be accessible not only to students in probability theory, but also to students whose primary interests are in geometry, ergodic theory, or geometric group theory.

For anyone whose interest lies in the interplay between groups and geometry, these books will be an essential addition to their library.

In this book, Pierre de la Harpe provides a concise and engaging introduction to geometric group theory, a new method for studying infinite groups via their intrinsic geometry that has played a major role in mathematics over the past two decades. A recognized expert in the field, de la Harpe adopts a hands-on approach, illustrating key concepts with numerous concrete examples. The first five chapters present basic combinatorial and geometric group theory in a unique and refreshing way, with an emphasis on finitely generated versus finitely presented groups. In the final three chapters, de la Harpe discusses new material on the growth of groups, including a detailed treatment of the "Grigorchuk group." Most sections are followed by exercises and a list of problems and complements, enhancing the book's value for students; problems range from slightly more difficult exercises to open research problems in the field. An extensive list of references directs readers to more advanced results as well as connections with other fields.

The papers in this volume are the result of a workshop held in January 1989 at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. Topics covered include decision problems, finitely presented simple groups, combinatorial geometry and homology, and automatic groups and related topics.

Conformal dimension measures the extent to which the Hausdorff dimension of a metric space can be lowered by quasisymmetric deformations. Introduced by Pansu in 1989, this concept has proved extremely fruitful in a diverse range of areas, including geometric function theory, conformal dynamics, and geometric group theory. This survey leads the reader from the definitions and basic theory through to active research applications in geometric function theory, Gromov hyperbolic geometry, and the dynamics of rational maps, amongst other areas. It reviews the theory of dimension in metric spaces and of deformations of metric spaces. It summarizes the basic tools for estimating conformal dimension and illustrates their application to concrete problems of independent interest. Numerous examples and proofs are provided. Working from basic definitions through to current research areas, this book can be used as a guide for graduate students interested in this field, or as a helpful survey for experts. Background needed for a potential reader of the book consists of a working knowledge of real and complex analysis on the level of first- and second-year graduate courses.