Intersection

Intersection homology is a version of homology theory that extends Poincaré duality and its applications to stratified spaces, such as singular varieties. This is the first comprehensive expository book-length introduction to intersection homology from the viewpoint of singular and piecewise-linear chains. Recent breakthroughs have made this approach viable by providing intersection homology and cohomology versions of all the standard tools in the homology tool box, making the subject readily accessible to graduate students and researchers in topology as well as researchers from other fields. This text includes both new research material and new proofs of previously-known results in intersection homology, as well as treatments of many classical topics in algebraic and manifold topology. Written in a detailed but expository style, this book is suitable as an introduction to intersection homology or as a thorough reference.

Appearance of singularities is pervasive in many problems in topology, differential geometry and algebraic geometry. This book concerns the study of singular spaces using techniques from a variety of areas of geometry and topology and the interactions among them. Expository chapters by well-known experts cover intersection homology, L2 cohomology and differential operators, topology of algebraic varieties, signatures and characteristic classes, mixed Hodge theory and elliptic genera of singular complex and real algebraic varieties. The book concludes with a list of open problems.

Appearance of singularities is pervasive in many problems in topology, differential geometry and algebraic geometry. This book concerns the study of singular spaces using techniques from a variety of areas of geometry and topology and the interactions among them. Expository chapters by well-known experts cover intersection homology, L2 cohomology and differential operators, topology of algebraic varieties, signatures and characteristic classes, mixed Hodge theory and elliptic genera of singular complex and real algebraic varieties. The book concludes with a list of open problems.