Kuo-Tsai Chen (1923-1987) is best known to the mathematics community
for his work on iterated integrals and power series connections in
conjunction with his research on the cohomology of loop spaces. His
work is intimately related to the theory of minimal models as
developed by Dennis Sullivan, whose own work was in part inspired by
the research of Chen.
An outstanding and original mathematician, Chen's work falls naturally
into three periods: his early work on group theory and links in the
three sphere; his subsequent work on formal differential equations,
which gradually developed into his most powerful and important work;
and his work on iterated integrals and homotopy theory, which occupied
him for the last twenty years of his life. The goal of Chen's
iterated integrals program, which is a de Rham theory for path spaces,
was to study the interaction of topology and analysis through path
integration.
The present volume is a comprehensive collection of Chen's
mathematical publications preceded by an article, "The Life and Work
of Kuo-Tsai Chen," placing his work and research interests into their
proper context and demonstrating the power and scope of his
influence.