Skip to main content
  • Textbook
  • © 2012

Differentiable Manifolds

A Theoretical Physics Approach

Birkhäuser
  • Introduces differentiable manifolds using a theoretical physics approach; unique book in the literature

  • Provides a collection of exercises of varying degrees of difficulty

  • Includes applications to differential geometry and general relativity

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-VIII
  2. Manifolds

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 1-28
  3. Lie Derivatives

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 29-48
  4. Differential Forms

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 49-65
  5. Integral Manifolds

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 67-91
  6. Connections

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 93-114
  7. Riemannian Manifolds

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 115-160
  8. Lie Groups

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 161-200
  9. Hamiltonian Classical Mechanics

    • Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo
    Pages 201-253
  10. Back Matter

    Pages 255-275

About this book

This textbook explores the theory behind differentiable manifolds and investigates various physics applications along the way. Basic concepts, such as differentiable manifolds, differentiable mappings, tangent vectors, vector fields, and differential forms, are briefly introduced in the first three chapters. Chapter 4 gives a concise introduction to differential geometry needed in subsequent chapters. Chapters 5 and 6 provide interesting applications to connections and Riemannian manifolds. Lie groups and Hamiltonian mechanics are closely examined in the last two chapters. Included throughout the book are a collection of exercises of varying degrees of difficulty.

Differentiable Manifolds is intended for graduate students and researchers interested in a theoretical physics approach to the subject. Prerequisites include multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and a basic knowledge of analytical mechanics.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“The purpose of this book is to present some fundamental notions of differentiable geometry of manifolds and some applications in physics. The topics developed in the book are of interest of advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and physics. The author succeeded to connect differential geometry with mechanics. The computations are clearly explained and the theory is supported by several examples. Throughout the book there is a large collection of exercises … which help the reader to fix the obtained knowledge.” (Marian Ioan Munteanu, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1237, 2012)

“This book presents an introduction to differential geometry and the calculus on manifolds with a view on some of its applications in physics. … The book is primarily oriented towards advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and physics … . the present author has succeeded in writing a book which has its own flavor and its own emphasis, which makes it certainly a valuable addition to the literature on the subject.” (Frans Cantrijn, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2012 k)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Instituto de Ciencias, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Mexico

    Gerardo F. Torres del Castillo

About the author

Gerardo Torres del Castillo has published two books previously, both in Birkhauser's Progress in Mathematical Physics series: 3-D Spinors, Spin-Weighted Functions and their Applications, and Spinors in Four-Dimensional Spaces.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access