How can I use two modes in emacs (markdown and auctex)?

Question

When I edit markdown in emacs I use markdown-mode. However I often have to type some math formulas in the markdown file (processed by mathjax). However for those math parts markdown mode is not very comfortable.

Is there a way to make emacs automatically switch to latex (auctex) mode (locally) when the point is between two $ signs for example ($\mathbb{R}$) or between two double $ signs for example

$$
\begin{align}
a = b
\end{align}
$$

?

Edit I also want to have the font locking of the "local" mode.

Edit 2 I tried mmm-mode, but this doesn't handle font-locking correctly. I guess that multi-mode.el or MuMaMo-mode might be what I want. But I didn't figure out how to use this in my examples. So, if it is possible to do what I want with one of this or with another mode, it would be great if someone could post detailed steps howto apply it in my case as an answer.

Answer 1

Emacs has several packages that help switching quickly and automatically between modes. The Emacs wiki has a page on multiple modes.

Mmm-mode is a common choice, but I expect each of the possibilities to have its ups and downs.

Answer 2

If you are specifically interested in avoiding interference of markdown-mode with math enclosed in $...$ or $$...$$, you can do M-x markdown-enable-math while markdown major mode is on, see http://jblevins.org/projects/markdown-mode/