James Lepowsky

Chongying Dong

The rapidly-evolving theory of vertex operator algebras provides deep insight into many important algebraic structures. Vertex operator algebras can be viewed as "complex analogues" of both Lie algebras and associative algebras. The monograph is written in a n accessible and self-contained manner, with detailed proofs and with many examples interwoven through the axiomatic treatment as motivation and applications. It will be useful for research mathematicians and theoretical physicists working the such fields as representation theory and algebraic structure sand will provide the basis for a number of graduate courses and seminars on these and related topics.

Generalized Vertex Algebras and Relative Vertex Operators

Geoffrey Mason

'One of the great legacies of the classification of the finite simple groups is the existence of the Monster $\ldots$. Work of Borcherds and Frenkel-Lepowsky-Meurman led to the notion of a vertex (operator) algebra, which was seen to be the same as the chiral algebras used by physicists in conformal field theory $\ldots$. The connections with physics have proven to be invaluable, and it seems likely that another branch of mathematics whose origins are eerily similar to those of moonshine - that is, elliptic cohomology - will turn out to be very relevant too' - from the Preface.This volume contains the proceedings of a Joint Summer Research Conference held at Mount Holyoke College in June 1994. As perhaps the first conference proceedings devoted exclusively to the subject known as 'Moonshine', this work contains something for many mathematicians and physicists. It features: results concerning the monster simple group and other simple groups; connections with elliptic cohomology; connections with 2-dimensional conformal field theory; the role of operads; and, connections with modular functions. ""Much of Moonshine, the Monster, and Related Topics"" features new results not available anywhere else.

Chongying Dong

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