Cornell Math - MATH 740, Fall 2006

MATH 740: Homological Algebra: An Introduction to Derived Categories (Fall 2006)

Instructor: Yuri Berest

Meeting Time & Room

The notion of derived category has originated in the works of A. Grothendieck and J.-L. Verdier in an attempt to develop a proper foundation for various cohomology theories in algebraic geometry. Over the past decades, these categories have become indispensable in algebraic geometry and made their way into many other areas of mathematics, including algebra, representation theory, differential geometry and algebraic topology. Recently, they have also found applications in physics, becoming apparently the language of choice for string theorists...

The course is intended for graduate students working in various areas of mathematics who want to learn the language and techniques of homological algebra. I will try to give a gentle introduction to the theory of derived and triangulated categories with a view towards applications in algebra and geometry.