This volume contains the proceedings of the conference Perspectives in Representation Theory, held from May 12-17, 2012, at Yale University, in honor of Igor Frenkel's 60th birthday. The aim of the conference was to present current progress on the following (interrelated) topics: vertex operator algebras and chiral algebras, conformal field theory, the (geometric) Langlands program, affine Lie algebras, Kac-Moody algebras, quantum groups, crystal bases and canonical bases, quantum cohomology and K-theory, geometric representation theory, categorification, higher-dimensional Kac-Moody theory, integrable systems, quiver varieties, representations of real and -adic groups, and quantum gauge theories. The papers in this volume present representation theory connections to numerous other subjects, as well as some of the most recent advances in representation theory, including those which occurred thanks to the application of techniques in other areas of mathematics, and of ideas of quantum field theory and string theory.

Iwasawa theory began in the late 1950s with a series of papers by Kenkichi Iwasawa on ideal class groups in the cyclotomic tower of number fields and their relation to $p$-adic $L$-functions. The theory was later generalized by putting it in the context of elliptic curves and modular forms. The main motivation for writing this book was the need for a total perspective of Iwasawa theory that includes the new trends of generalized Iwasawa theory. Another motivation of this book is an update of the classical theory for class groups taking into account the changed point of view on Iwasawa theory. The goal of this first part of the two-part publication is to explain the theory of ideal class groups, including its algebraic aspect (the Iwasawa class number formula), its analytic aspect (Leopoldt–Kubota $L$-functions), and the Iwasawa main conjecture, which is a bridge between the algebraic and the analytic aspects. The second part of the book will be published as a separate volume in the same series, Mathematical Surveys and Monographs of the American Mathematical Society.

It has been said that `String theorists talk to string theorists and everyone else wonders what they are saying'. This book will be a great help to those researchers who are challenged by modern quantum field theory. Quantum field theory experienced a renaissance in the late 1960s. Here, participants in the Les Houches sessions of 1970/75, now key players in quantum field theory and its many impacts, assess developments in their field of interest and provide guidance to young researchers challenged by these developments, but overwhelmed by their complexities. The book is not a textbook on string theory, rather it is a complement to Polchinski's book on string theory. It is a survey of current problems which have their origin in quantum field theory.

Iwasawa theory began in the late 1950s with a series of papers by Kenkichi Iwasawa on ideal class groups in the cyclotomic tower of number fields and their relation to $p$-adic $L$-functions. The theory was later generalized by putting it in the context of elliptic curves and modular forms. The main motivation for writing this book was the need for a total perspective of Iwasawa theory that includes the new trends of generalized Iwasawa theory. Another motivation is to update the classical theory for class groups, taking into account the changed point of view on Iwasawa theory. The goal of this second part of the three-part publication is to explain various aspects of the cyclotomic Iwasawa theory of $p$-adic Galois representations.

The authors introduce a generalization of the Fourier transform, denoted by $\mathcal{F}_C$, on the isotropic cone $C$ associated to an indefinite quadratic form of signature $(n_1,n_2)$ on $\mathbb{R}^n$ ($n=n_1+n_2$: even). This transform is in some sense the unique and natural unitary operator on $L^2(C)$, as is the case with the Euclidean Fourier transform $\mathcal{F}_{\mathbb{R}^n}$ on $L^2(\mathbb{R}^n)$. Inspired by recent developments of algebraic representation theory of reductive groups, the authors shed new light on classical analysis on the one hand, and give the global formulas for the $L^2$-model of the minimal representation of the simple Lie group $G=O(n_1+1,n_2+1)$ on the other hand.

This book explores terminology, frameworks, and research being conducted worldwide on virtual manipulatives. It brings together international authors who provide their perspectives on virtual manipulatives in research and teaching. By defining terminology, explaining conceptual and theoretical frameworks, and reporting research, the authors provide a comprehensive foundation on the study and use of virtual manipulatives for mathematics teaching and learning. This foundation provides a common way for researchers to communicate about virtual manipulatives and build on the major works that have been conducted on this topic. By discussing these big ideas, the book advances knowledge for future research on virtual manipulatives as these dynamic tools move from computer platforms to hand-held, touch-screen, and augmented platforms.

Since its inception around 1980, the theory of perverse sheaves has been a vital tool of fundamental importance in geometric representation theory. This book, which aims to make this theory accessible to students and researchers, is divided into two parts. The first six chapters give a comprehensive account of constructible and perverse sheaves on complex algebraic varieties, including such topics as Artin's vanishing theorem, smooth descent, and the nearby cycles functor. This part of the book also has a chapter on the equivariant derived category, and brief surveys of side topics including étale and ℓ-adic sheaves, D-modules, and algebraic stacks. The last four chapters of the book show how to put this machinery to work in the context of selected topics in geometric representation theory: Kazhdan-Lusztig theory; Springer theory; the geometric Satake equivalence; and canonical bases for quantum groups. Recent developments such as the p-canonical basis are also discussed. The book has more than 250 exercises, many of which focus on explicit calculations with concrete examples. It also features a 4-page “Quick Reference” that summarizes the most commonly used facts for computations, similar to a table of integrals in a calculus textbook.

Providing a comprehensive guide to devising an effective research design, Uwe Flick discusses each stage of the process of designing qualitative research in detail, including formulating a research design, selecting an appropriate strategy, conceptual framework and data source, and collecting and analyzing data.

This edited collection reviews and integrates current theories and perspectives on autobiographical memory.

The unpublished writings of Helmut Hasse, consisting of letters, manuscripts and other papers, are kept at the Handschriftenabteilung of the University Library at Göttingen. Hasse had an extensive correspondence; he liked to exchange mathematical ideas, results and methods freely with his colleagues. There are more than 8000 documents preserved. Although not all of them are of equal mathematical interest, searching through this treasure can help us to assess the development of Number Theory through the 1920s and 1930s. The present volume is largely based on the letters and other documents its author has found concerning the Brauer-Hasse-Noether Theorem in the theory of algebras; this covers the years around 1931. In addition to the documents from the literary estates of Hasse and Brauer in Göttingen, the author also makes use of some letters from Emmy Noether to Richard Brauer that are preserved at the Bryn Mawr College Library (Pennsylvania, USA).