N G van Kampen 1981 Amsterdam: North-Holland xiv + 419 pp price Dfl 180 This is a book which, at a lower price, could be expected to become an essential part of the library of every physical scientist concerned with problems involving fluctuations and stochastic processes, as well as those who just enjoy a beautifully written book. It provides an extensive graduate-level introduction which is clear, cautious, interesting and readable.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9112/34/4/040/pdf

Stochastic Processes in Physics and Chemistry

The Theory of Matrices. By F R. Gantmacher. Two volumes, pp. 374 and 276. 1959. (Translated from the Russian by K. A. Hirsch; Chelsea Publishing Company, New York)

We explore in this chapter questions of existence and uniqueness for solutions to stochastic differential equations and offer a study of their properties. This endeavor is really a study of diffusion processes. Loosely speaking, the term diffusion is attributed to a Markov process which has continuous sample paths and can be characterized in terms of its infinitesimal generator.

Stochastic Differential Equations

Combinatorial Group Theory: COMBINATORIAL GROUP THEORY

Vorlesungen uber theoretische Physik Von Prof. Arnold Sommerfeld. Band 1: Mechanik. Vierte, neubearbeitete Auflage. Pp. xii + 276. 18 D. marks. Band 2: Mechanik der deformierbaren Medien. Pp. xv + 376 + 4 plates. 18 D. marks. Band 3: Elektrodynamik. Pp. xvi + 368. 18 D. marks. Band 6: Partielle Differentialgleichungen der Physik. Pp. xiii + 332. 18 D. marks. (Wiesbaden: Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1947–1949.)

/pdf/lectures-on-theoretical-physics-4m0v0ffz5s.pdf

Lectures on Theoretical Physics

The authors study consistent deformations of the classical differential calculus on algebras of functions (and, more generally, commutative algebras) such that differentials and functions satisfy nontrivial commutation relations. For a class of such calculi it is shown that the deformation parameters correspond to the spacings of a lattice. These differential calculi generate a lattice on a space continuum. The whole setting of a lattice theory can then be deduced from the continuum theory via deformation of the standard differential calculus. In this framework one just has to express the Lagrangian for the continuum theory in terms of differential forms. This expression then also makes sense for the deformed differential calculus. There is a natural integral associated with the latter. Integration of the Lagrangian over a space continuum then produces the correct lattice action for a large class of theories. This is explicitly shown for the scalar field action and the action for SU(m) gauge theory.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0305-4470/26/8/019/pdf

Noncommutative differential calculus and lattice gauge theory

Differential calculus on discrete sets is developed in the spirit of noncommutative geometry. Any differential algebra on a discrete set can be regarded as a ‘‘reduction’’ of the ‘‘universal differential algebra’’ and this allows a systematic exploration of differential algebras on a given set. Associated with a differential algebra is a (di)graph where two vertices are connected by at most two (antiparallel) arrows. The interpretation of such a graph as a ‘‘Hasse diagram’’ determining a (locally finite) topology then establishes contact with recent work by other authors in which discretizations of topological spaces and corresponding field theories were considered which retain their global topological structure. It is shown that field theories, and in particular gauge theories, can be formulated on a discrete set in close analogy with the continuum case. The framework presented generalizes ordinary lattice theory which is recovered from an oriented (hypercubic) lattice graph. It also includes, e.g., the two‐point space used by Connes and Lott (and others) in models of elementary particle physics. The formalism suggests that the latter be regarded as an approximation of a manifold and thus opens a way to relate models with an ‘‘internal’’ discrete space (a la Connes et al.) to models of dimensionally reduced gauge fields. Furthermore, a ‘‘symmetric lattice’’ is also studied which (in a certain continuum limit) turns out to be related to a ‘‘noncommutative differential calculus’’ on manifolds.

Discrete differential calculus graphs, topologies and gauge theory

A finite set can be supplied with a group structure which can then be used to select (classes of) differential calculi on it via the notions of left-, right- and bicovariance. A corresponding framework has been developed by Woronowicz, more generally for Hopf algebras including quantum groups. A differential calculus is regarded as the most basic structure needed for the introduction of further geometric notions like linear connections and, moreover, for the formulation of field theories and dynamics on finite sets. Associated with each bicovariant first-order differential calculus on a finite group is a braid operator which plays an important role for the construction of distinguished geometric structures. For a covariant calculus, there are notions of invariance for linear connections and tensors. All these concepts are explored for finite groups and illustrated with examples. Some results are formulated more generally for arbitrary associative (Hopf) algebras. In particular, the problem of extension of a connection on a bimodule (over an associative algebra) to tensor products is investigated, leading to the class of `extensible connections'. It is shown that invariance properties of an extensible connection on a bimodule over a Hopf algebra are carried over to the extension. Furthermore, an invariance property of a connection is also shared by a `dual connection' which exists on the dual bimodule (as defined in this work).

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0305-4470/29/11/010/pdf

Non-commutative geometry of finite groups

Differential calculus on discrete sets is developed in the spirit of noncommutative geometry. Any differential algebra on a discrete set can be regarded as a `reduction' of the `universal differential algebra' and this allows a systematic exploration of differential algebras on a given set. Associated with a differential algebra is a (di)graph where two vertices are connected by at most two (antiparallel) arrows. The interpretation of such a graph as a `Hasse diagram' determining a (locally finite) topology then establishes contact with recent work by other authors in which discretizations of topological spaces and corresponding field theories were considered which retain their global topological structure. It is shown that field theories, and in particular gauge theories, can be formulated on a discrete set in close analogy with the continuum case. The framework presented generalizes ordinary lattice theory which is recovered from an oriented (hypercubic) lattice graph. It also includes, e.g., the two-point space used by Connes and Lott (and others) in models of elementary particle physics. The formalism suggests that the latter be regarded as an approximation of a manifold and thus opens a way to relate models with an `internal' discrete space ({\`a} la Connes et al.) to models of dimensionally reduced gauge fields. Furthermore, also a `symmetric lattice' is studied which (in a certain continuum limit) turns out to be related to a `noncommutative differential calculus' on manifolds.

Discrete differential calculus, graphs, topologies and gauge theory

A method is proposed for defining an arbitrary number of differential calculi over a given noncommutative associative algebra. As an example the generalized quantum plane is studied. It is found that there is a strong correlation, but not a one‐to‐one correspondence, between the module structure of the 1‐forms and the metric torsion‐free connections on it. In the commutative limit the connection remains as a shadow of the algebraic structure of the 1‐forms.

Aristophanes Dimakis

Papers

Noncommutative differential calculus and lattice gauge theory

Discrete differential calculus graphs, topologies and gauge theory

Non-commutative geometry of finite groups

Discrete differential calculus, graphs, topologies and gauge theory

Differential calculi and linear connections