Introduction to Quantum Groups

The quantum groups discussed in this book are the quantized enveloping algebras introduced by Drinfeld and Jimbo in 1985, or variations thereof. It is shown that these algebras have natural integral forms that can be specialized at roots of 1 and yield new objects, which include quantum versions of the semi-simple groups over fields of positive characteristic. The theory of quantum groups has led to a new, extremely rigid structure, in which the objects of the theory are provided with canonical bases having rather remarkable properties. This book contains an extensive treatment of the theory of canonical bases in the framework of perverse sheaves. The theory developed in the book includes the case of quantum…