This book is devoted to pseudo-holomorphic curve methods in symplectic geometry. It contains an introduction to symplectic geometry and relevant techniques of Riemannian geometry, proofs of Gromov's compactness theorem, an investigation of local properties of holomorphic curves, including positivity of intersections, and applications to Lagrangian embeddings problems. The chapters are based on a series of lectures given previously by the authors M. Audin, A. Banyaga, P. Gauduchon, F. Labourie, J. Lafontaine, F. Lalonde, Gang Liu, D. McDuff, M.-P. Muller, P. Pansu, L. Polterovich, J.C. Sikorav. In an attempt to make this book accessible also to graduate students, the authors provide the necessary examples and techniques needed to understand the applications of the theory. The exposition is essentially self-contained and includes numerous exercises.

The main goal of this book is to establish the fundamental theorems of the subject in full and rigourous detail. In particular, the book contains complete proofs of Gromov's compactness theorem for spheres, of the gluing theorem for spheres, and of the associatively of quantum multiplication in the semipositive case. The book can also serve as an introduction to current work in symplectic topology.

This book presents the original proof of Gromov's compactness theorem for pseudo-holomorphic curves in detail. Local properties of pseudo-holomorphic curves are investigated and proved from a geometric viewpoint. Properties of particular interest are isoperimetric inequalities, a monotonicity formula, gradient bounds and the removal of singularities.

This monograph provides an accessible introduction to the applications of pseudoholomorphic curves in symplectic and contact geometry, with emphasis on dimensions four and three. The first half of the book focuses on McDuff's characterization of symplectic rational and ruled surfaces, one of the classic early applications of holomorphic curve theory. The proof presented here uses the language of Lefschetz fibrations and pencils, thus it includes some background on these topics, in addition to a survey of the required analytical results on holomorphic curves. Emphasizing applications rather than technical results, the analytical survey mostly refers to other sources for proofs, while aiming to provide precise statements that are widely applicable, plus some informal discussion of the analytical ideas behind them. The second half of the book then extends this program in two complementary directions: (1) a gentle introduction to Gromov-Witten theory and complete proof of the classification of uniruled symplectic 4-manifolds; and (2) a survey of punctured holomorphic curves and their applications to questions from 3-dimensional contact topology, such as classifying the symplectic fillings of planar contact manifolds. This book will be particularly useful to graduate students and researchers who have basic literacy in symplectic geometry and algebraic topology, and would like to learn how to apply standard techniques from holomorphic curve theory without dwelling more than necessary on the analytical details. This book is also part of the Virtual Series on Symplectic Geometry http://www.springer.com/series/16019

J -holomorphic curves revolutionized the study of symplectic geometry when Gromov first introduced them in 1985. Through quantum cohomology, these curves are now linked to many of the most exciting new ideas in mathematical physics. This book presents the first coherent and full account of the theory of J -holomorphic curves, the details of which are presently scattered in various research papers. The first half of the book is an expository account of the field, explaining the main technical aspects. McDuff and Salamon give complete proofs of Gromov's compactness theorem for spheres and of the existence of the Gromov-Witten invariants. The second half of the book focuses on the definition of quantum cohomology. The authors establish that the quantum multiplication exists and is associative on appropriate manifolds. They then describe the Givental-Kim calculation of the quantum cohomology of flag manifolds, leading to quantum Chern classes and Witten's calculation for Grassmanians, which relates to the Verlinde algebra. The Dubrovin connection, Gromov-Witten potential on quantum cohomology, and curve counting formulas are also discussed.

Symplectic geometry has its origins as a geometric language for classical mechanics. But it has recently exploded into an independent field interconnected with many other areas of mathematics and physics. The goal of the IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute Graduate Summer School on Symplectic Geometry and Topology was to give an intensive introduction to these exciting areas of current research. Included in this proceedings are lecture notes from the following courses: Introductionto Symplectic Topology by D. McDuff; Holomorphic Curves and Dynamics in Dimension Three by H. Hofer; An Introduction to the Seiberg-Witten Equations on Symplectic Manifolds by C. Taubes; Lectures on Floer Homology by D. Salamon; A Tutorial on Quantum Cohomology by A. Givental; Euler Characteristicsand Lagrangian Intersections by R. MacPherson; Hamiltonian Group Actions and Symplectic Reduction by L. Jeffrey; and Mechanics: Symmetry and Dynamics by J. Marsden. Information for our distributors: Titles in this series are copublished with the Institute for Advanced Study/Park City Mathematics Institute. Members of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) receive a 20% discount from list price.

Gauge theory, symplectic geometry and symplectic topology are important areas at the crossroads of several mathematical disciplines. The present book, with expertly written surveys of recent developments in these areas, includes some of the first expository material of Seiberg-Witten theory, which has revolutionised the subjects since its introduction in late 1994. Topics covered include: introductions to Seiberg-Witten theory, to applications of the S-W theory to four-dimensional manifold topology, and to the classification of symplectic manifolds; an introduction to the theory of pseudo-holomorphic curves and to quantum cohomology; algebraically integrable Hamiltonian systems and moduli spaces; the stable topology of gauge theory, Morse-Floer theory; pseudo-convexity and its relations to symplectic geometry; generating functions; Frobenius manifolds and topological quantum field theory.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Claude Viterbo has made a number of groundbreaking contributions in the development of symplectic geometry/topology and Hamiltonian dynamics. The chapters in this volume – compiled on the occasion of his 60th birthday – are written by distinguished mathematicians and pay tribute to his many significant and lasting achievements.

Modern approaches to the study of symplectic 4-manifolds and algebraic surfaces combine a wide range of techniques and sources of inspiration. Gauge theory, symplectic geometry, pseudoholomorphic curves, singularity theory, moduli spaces, braid groups, monodromy, in addition to classical topology and algebraic geometry, combine to make this one of the most vibrant and active areas of research in mathematics. It is our hope that the five lectures of the present volume given at the C.I.M.E. Summer School held in Cetraro, Italy, September 2-10, 2003 will be useful to people working in related areas of mathematics and will become standard references on these topics. The volume is a coherent exposition of an active field of current research focusing on the introduction of new methods for the study of moduli spaces of complex structures on algebraic surfaces, and for the investigation of symplectic topology in dimension 4 and higher.

Over the last number of years powerful new methods in analysis and topology have led to the development of the modern global theory of symplectic topology, including several striking and important results. This new third edition of a classic book in the feild includes updates and new material to bring the material right up-to-date.