Lie Groups

MATH 629

Lie Groups
Math 629
Spring, 2013
MW 1:30-2:45, Planetary Hall Room 242

Instructor:	Dr. Goldin
Office:	Planetary Hall (Science and Tech I), Room 207
Office Hours:	Mondays 12:30-1:30, Wednesdays 9:30am-10:15am, and by appointment. If you plan to come to office hours on Mondays, you do not need to let me know in advance, however on Wednesday please email me if you plan to come, with the time you plan to be there.
Phone:	703-993-1480. Messages are not checked regularly. The best way to reach me is by email.
Email:	rgoldin@gmu.edu

Prerequisite
This is a graduate level introductory course to Lie groups. Students should be familiar with basic point set topology (MATH 631) and basic group theory (MATH 621), and have a strong grasp of Advanced Linear Algebra (MATH 321). This is a proof-based course, so students should be comfortable with writing extensive proofs.

Text
The text for this course is Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations, by Brian Hall. We will also use parts of Alexander Kirillov Jr.'s book, Introduction to Lie Groups and Lie Algebras, available for free here:
http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~kirillov/mat552/liegroups.pdf

Course Content
We hope to get through most of Hall's book. This is the first time teaching this course, so we will see if this is overly ambitious. We are mostly sticking to matrix groups, which allows us to avoid some of the hard core differential geometry used in Kirillov's book.

Test Dates
There is one midterm exam for this course. There is a final "project" that you will present to the class either one of the last class days (May 1 or 6) or during the day of finals, Wednesday, May 8, 1:30-4:15pm. You are required to attend class on all days in which presentations occur, or you will lose points on your final presentation score.

Grading
The grade in this course will be based on problem sets the midterm exams and the presentations. Class attendence is not required, though if you skip class you will experience less leniency regarding late assignments or borderline grades. The grade will be determined by:
20% Midterm Exam
30% Final presentation
50% problem sets.

Problem Sets
There will be approximately 10 problem sets, and you will generally have a week to complete them.

Disability statement
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.

Honor Code
The University Honor Code is to be followed at all times. Sharing information of any kind about exams or quizzes is prohibited. Any violations will be sent to the Honor Committee and will result in a grade of zero.