2005/04/08 by Joseph Samuel, Samuel, Joseph
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Algebraic and Geometric Analysis #FOS: Physical sciences #Physics Education (physics.ed-ph) #Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #physics.ed-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0504055
This article is in two parts, to appear in Resonance each part is 10 pages, two figures as separate eps files
arxiv created 2005/04/08 · openalex publication_date 2005/04/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We describe some instances of the appearance of Chern's mathematical ideas in physics. By means of simple examples, we bring out the geometric and topological ideas which have found application in describing the physical world. These applications range from magnetic monopoles in electrodynamics to instantons in quantum chromodynamics to the geometric phase of quantum mechanics. The first part of this article is elementary and addressed to a general reader. The second part is somewhat more demanding and is addressed to advanced students of mathematics and physics.