K -Theory has revolutionized the study of operator algebras in the last few years. As the primary component of the subject of "noncommutative topol ogy," K -theory has opened vast new vistas within the structure theory of C* algebras, as well as leading to profound and unexpected applications of opera tor algebras to problems in geometry and topology. As a result, many topolo gists and operator algebraists have feverishly begun trying to learn each others' subjects, and it appears certain that these two branches of mathematics have become deeply and permanently intertwined. Despite the fact that the whole subject is only about a decade old, operator K -theory has now reached a state of relative stability. While there will undoubtedly be many more revolutionary developments and applications in the future, it appears the basic theory has more or less reached a "final form." But because of the newness of the theory, there has so far been no comprehensive treatment of the subject. It is the ambitious goal of these notes to fill this gap. We will develop the K -theory of Banach algebras, the theory of extensions of C*-algebras, and the operator K -theory of Kasparov from scratch to its most advanced aspects. We will not treat applications in detail; however, we will outline the most striking of the applications to date in a section at the end, as well as mentioning others at suitable points in the text.

These volumes form an authoritative statement of the current state of research in Operator Algebras. They consist of papers arising from a year-long symposium held at the University of Warwick. Contributors include many very well-known figures in the field.

This collection of papers by leading researchers provides a broad picture of current research directions in index theory. Based on lectures presented at the NSF-CBMS Regional Conference on $K$-Homology and Index Theory, held in August, 1991 at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the book provides both a careful exposition of new perspectives in classical index theory and an introduction to currently active areas of the field. Presented here are two new proofs of the classical Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem, as well as index theorems for manifolds with boundary and open manifolds. Index theory for semi-simple $p$-adic groups and the geometry of discrete groups are also discussed. Throughout the book, the application of operator algebras emerges as a central theme. Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book is suitable as a text for an advanced graduate course on index theory.

This book offers peer-reviewed articles from the 19th International Conference on Operator Theory, Summer 2002. It contains recent developments in a broad range of topics from operator theory, operator algebras and their applications, particularly to differential analysis, complex functions, ergodic theory, mathematical physics, matrix analysis, and systems theory. The book covers a large variety of topics including single operator theory, C*-algebras, diffrential operators, integral transforms, stochastic processes and operators, and more.

Combining analysis, geometry, and topology, this volume provides an introduction to current ideas involving the application of $K$-theory of operator algebras to index theory and geometry. In particular, the articles follow two main themes: the use of operator algebras to reflect properties of geometric objects and the application of index theory in settings where the relevant elliptic operators are invertible modulo a $C^*$-algebra other than that of the compact operators. The papers in this collection are the proceedings of the special sessions held at two AMS meetings: the Annual meeting in New Orleans in January 1986, and the Central Section meeting in April 1986. Jonathan Rosenberg's exposition supplies the best available introduction to Kasparov's $KK$-theory and its applications to representation theory and geometry. A striking application of these ideas is found in Thierry Fack's paper, which provides a complete and detailed proof of the Novikov Conjecture for fundamental groups of manifolds of non-positive curvature. Some of the papers involve Connes' foliation algebra and its $K$-theory, while others examine $C^*$-algebras associated to groups and group actions on spaces.

Operator theory has come of age during the last twenty years. The subject has developed in several directions using new and powerful methods that have led to the solution of basic problems previously thought to be inaccessible. In addition, operator theory has had fundamental connections with a range of other mathematical topics. For example, operator theory has made mutually enriching contacts with other areas of mathematics, such as algebraic topology and index theory, complex analysis, and probability theory. The algebraic methods employed in operator theory are diverse and touch upon a broad area of mathematics. There have been direct applications of operator theory to systems theory and statistical mechanics. And significant problems and motivations have arisen from the subject's traditional underpinnings for partial differential equations.

A collection of papers presented at a conference in Rome on operator algebras and quantum field theory. Invited contributions on noncommutative dynamical systems, the Baum-Cohnes and the Novikov conjecture, the Atiyah-Singer index theorem, and Banach Space aspects are included.