Nigel Higson

Noncommutative Geometry is one of the most deep and vital research subjects of present-day Mathematics. Its development, mainly due to Alain Connes, is providing an increasing number of applications and deeper insights for instance in Foliations, K-Theory, Index Theory, Number Theory but also in Quantum Physics of elementary particles. The purpose of the Summer School in Martina Franca was to offer a fresh invitation to the subject and closely related topics; the contributions in this volume include the four main lectures, cover advanced developments and are delivered by prominent specialists.

Analytic K-homology draws together ideas from algebraic topology, functional analysis and geometry. It is a tool - a means of conveying information among these three subjects - and it has been used with specacular success to discover remarkable theorems across a wide span of mathematics. The purpose of this book is to acquaint the reader with the essential ideas of analytic K-homology and develop some of its applications. It includes a detailed introduction to the necessary functional analysis, followed by an exploration of the connections between K-homology and operator theory, coarse geometry, index theory, and assembly maps, including a detailed treatment of the Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem. Beginning with the rudiments of C* - algebra theory, the book will lead the reader to some central notions of contemporary research in geometric functional analysis. Much of the material included here has never previously appeared in book form.