Fourier Analysis on Number Fields [Hardcover]

A modern approach to number theory through a blending of complementary algebraic and analytic perspectives, emphasising harmonic analysis on topological groups. The main goal is to cover John Tates visionary thesis, giving virtually all of the necessary analytic details and topological preliminaries -- technical prerequisites that are often foreign to the typical, more algebraically inclined number theorist. While most of the existing treatments of Tates thesis are somewhat terse and less than complete, the intent here is to be more leisurely, more comprehensive, and more comprehensible. While the choice of objects and methods is naturally guided by specific mathematical goals, the approach is by no means narrow. In fact, the subject matter at hand is germane not only to budding number theorists, but also to students of harmonic analysis or the representation theory of Lie groups. The text addresses students who have taken a year of graduate-level course in algebra, analysis, and topology. Moreover, the work will act as a good reference for working mathematicians interested in any of these fields.This book grew out of notes from several courses that the first author has taught over the past nine years at the California Institute of Technology, and earlier at the Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Crete. Our general aim is to provide a modern approach to number theory through a blending of complementary algebraic and analytic perspectives, emphasizing harmonic analysis on topological groups. Our more particular goal is to cover Jolm Tate's visionary thesis, giving virtually all of the necessary analytic details and topological preliminaries-technical prereq? uisites that are often foreign to the typical, more algebraically inclined number theorist. Most of the existing treatments of Tate's thesis, including Tate's own, range from terse to cryptic; our intent is to be more leisurely, more comprehen? sive, andlC&