In algebraic topology some classical invariants - such as Betti numbers and Reidemeister torsion - are defined for compact spaces and finite group actions. They can be generalized using von Neumann algebras and their traces, and applied also to non-compact spaces and infinite groups. These new L 2-invariants contain very interesting and novel information and can be applied to problems arising in topology, K -Theory, differential geometry, non-commutative geometry and spectral theory. It is particularly these interactions with different fields that make L 2-invariants very powerful and exciting. The book presents a comprehensive introduction to this area of research, as well as its most recent results and developments. It is written in a way which enables the reader to pick out a favourite topic and to find the result she or he is interested in quickly and without being forced to go through other material.

A comprehensive introduction to the field of L2-Invariants Presents the most recent results and developments Chapters are kept as independent of one other as possible Each chapter includes exercises; hints to their solution are given Contains an extensive index The book will become a standard reference work in the field of L2-invariants Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Wolfgang Lück ist Professor am Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität in Münster.

Inhalt
0. Introduction.- 1. L2-Betti Numbers.- 2. Novikov-Shubin Invariants.- 3. L2-Torsion.- 4. L2-Invariants of 3-Manifolds.- 5. L2-Invariants of Symmetric Spaces.- 6. L2-Invariants for General Spaces with Group Action.- 7. Applications to Groups.- 8. The Algebra of Affiliated Operators.- 9. Middle Algebraic K-Theory and L-Theory of von Neumann Algebras.- 10. The Atiyah Conjecture.- 11. The Singer Conjecture.- 12. The Zero-in-the-Spectrum Conjecture.- 13. The Approximation Conjecture and the Determinant Conjecture.- 14. L2-Invariants and the Simplicial Volume.- 15. Survey on Other Topics Related to L2-Invariants.- 16. Solutions of the Exercises.- References.- Notation.