Transformation Groups in Differential Geometry (Classics in Mathematics)

Given a mathematical structure, one of the basic associated mathematical objects is its automorphism group. The object of this book is to give a biased account of automorphism groups of differential geometric struc­ tures. All geometric structures are not created equal; some are creations of ~ods while others are products of lesser human minds. Amongst the former, Riemannian and complex structures stand out for their beauty and wealth. A major portion of this book is therefore devoted to these two structures. Chapter I describes a general theory of automorphisms of geometric structures with emphasis on the question of when the automorphism group can be given a Lie group structure. Basic theorems in this regard are presented in §§ 3, 4 and 5. The concept of G-structure or that of pseudo-group structure enables us to treat most of the interesting geo­ metric structures in a unified manner. In § 8, we sketch the relationship between the two concepts. Chapter I is so arranged that the reader who is primarily interested in Riemannian, complex, conformal and projective structures can skip §§ 5, 6, 7 and 8. This chapter is partly based on lec­ tures I gave in Tokyo and Berkeley in 1965. Front Matter....Pages I-VIII Automorphisms of G -Structures....Pages 1-38 Isometries of Riemannian Manifolds....Pages 39-76 Automorphisms of Complex Manifolds....Pages 77-121 Affine, Conformal and Projective Transformations....Pages 122-149 Back Matter....Pages 150-182