Graphs on Surfaces and Their Applications

0 Introduction: What is This Book About.- 1 Constellations, Coverings, and Maps.- 2 Dessins d'Enfants.- 3 Introduction to the Matrix Integrals Method.- 4 Geometry of Moduli Spaces of Complex Curves.- 5 Meromorphic Functions and Embedded Graphs.- 6 Algebraic Structures Associated with Embedded Graphs.- A.1 Representation Theory of Finite Groups.- A.1.1 Irreducible Representations and Characters.- A.1.2 Examples.- A.1.3 Frobenius's Formula.- A.2 Applications.- A.2.2 Examples.- A.2.3 First Application: Enumeration of Polygon Gluings.- A.2.4 Second Application: the Goulden-Jackson Formula.- A.2.5 Third Application: "Mirror Symmetry" in Dimension One.- References.

Sergei LANDO graduated from the Moscow State University in 1977, got the PhD degree from the Moscow State University in 1986 under the supervision of Prof. V.I. Arnold; worked for the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1986-1990 and since 1996 till now; one of the organizers (1991), and currently professor and vice-president of the Independent University of Moscow.

Alexander ZVONKIN graduated from the Moscow State University in 1970, got the PhD degree form the Moscow State University in 1974 under the supervision of Prof. A.N.Shiryaev; worked as associate professor (1973-1975), as industrial researcher (1975-1988), and in the USSR Academy of Sciences (1989-1992); from 1991 till now, professor of computer science at Bordeaux I University, Bordeaux, France.

From the reviews:

"The goal of this book is to explain the interrelations between three distinct ways to consider an embedded graph: as a topological object, as a sequence of permutations, as a way of representing a ramified covering of the sphere by a compact two-dimensional manifold. .......

The authors introduce their objects of study, namely graphs and maps, with great care and detail. A wealth of applications is pointed out, but of course these applications are sometimes introduced with minimal or no explanation. The Appendix provides some elegant and concise proofs of results used in the main body of the book and the bibliography contains 313 entries. Well-chosen examples and strategically placed exercises support the reader in gaining an understanding of graphs on surfaces and their fascinating applications."

B.Servatius, Zentralblatt für Math. 1040, Issue 9, p. 11, 2004

"This fascinating book is concerned with a modern approach to topological graph theory, with a particular focus on the numerous unexpected applications to, and interrelationships with, other fields of mathematics and also quantum physics, guiding the reader to the cutting edge of current research. ...

The book ends with a useful crash course on the representation theory of finite groups and their relevance to the enumeration of constellations, in the form of an appendix written by Don Zagier.

The book contains numerous diagrams, examples and exercises, making it appealing to both students and researchers."

Mathai Varghese, The Australian Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 31, Number 4, September 2004

"The goal of this book is to explain the interrelations between three distinct ways to consider an embedded graph ... . The authors introduce their objects of study ... with great care and detail. A wealth of applications is pointed out ... . The Appendix provides some elegant and concise proofs of results used in the main