Novikov Conjectures, Index Theorems, and Rigidity: Volume 1

The Novikov Conjecture is the single most important unsolved problem in the topology of high-dimensional non-simply connected manifolds. These two volumes are the outgrowth of a conference held at the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (Germany) in September 1993, on the subject of ‘Novikov Conjectures, Index Theorems and Rigidity’. They are intended to give a snapshot of the status of work on the Novikov Conjecture and related topics from many points of view: geometric topology, homotopy theory, algebra, geometry and analysis. Volume 1 contains: • A detailed historical survey and bibliography of the Novikov Conjecture and of related subsequent developments, including an annotated reprint (both in the original Russian and in English translation) of Novikov’s original 1970 statement of his conjecture; • An annotated problem list; • The texts of several important unpublished classic papers by Milnor, Browder, and Kasparov; and • Research/survey papers on the Novikov Conjecture by Ferry/Weinberger, Gromov, Mishchenko, Quinn, Ranicki, and Rosenberg.