Author Description

Originally, harmonic maps were studied in connection with the theory of minimal surfaces. In 1985, the authors, two of the foremost mathematicians in this field, presented a series of lectures at the University of California at San Diego on the subject of harmonic maps. Most of these lectures are collected here as Part I, which is devoted to harmonic maps defined on Riemann surfaces. Part II, which was added much more recently, integrates the seminal works of R. Schoen, the work of N. Korevaar and S.-T. Yau, and the applications to geometry by both authors. The final chapter is contributed by J. Jost and S.-T. Yau.