Combinatorics and finite fields are of great importance in modern applications such as in the analysis of algorithms, in information and communication theory, and in signal processing and coding theory. This book contains survey articles on topics such as difference sets, polynomials, and pseudorandomness.

Finite fields Combinatorics Algebraic coding theory Cryptography Background in number theory and abstract algebra Hints for selected exercises References Index.

This book is devoted entirely to the theory of finite fields.

The theory of finite fields encompasses algebra, combinatorics, and number theory and has furnished widespread applications in other areas of mathematics and computer science. This book is a collection of selected topics in the theory of finite fields and related areas. The topics include basic facts about finite fields, polynomials over finite fields, Gauss sums, algebraic number theory and cyclotomic fields, zeros of polynomials over finite fields, and classical groups over finite fields. The book is mostly self-contained, and the material covered is accessible to readers with the knowledge of graduate algebra; the only exception is a section on function fields. Each chapter is supplied with a set of exercises. The book can be adopted as a text for a second year graduate course or used as a reference by researchers.

Poised to become the leading reference in the field, the Handbook of Finite Fields is exclusively devoted to the theory and applications of finite fields. More than 80 international contributors compile state-of-the-art research in this definitive handbook. Edited by two renowned researchers, the book uses a uniform style and format throughout and

Combinatorics and finite fields are of great importance in modern applications such as in the analysis of algorithms, in information and communication theory, and in signal processing and coding theory. This book contains survey articles on topics such as difference sets, polynomials, and pseudorandomness.

This monograph provides a self-contained presentation of the foundations of finite fields, including a detailed treatment of their algebraic closures. It also covers important advanced topics which are not yet found in textbooks: the primitive normal basis theorem, the existence of primitive elements in affine hyperplanes, and the Niederreiter method for factoring polynomials over finite fields. We give streamlined and/or clearer proofs for many fundamental results and treat some classical material in an innovative manner. In particular, we emphasize the interplay between arithmetical and structural results, and we introduce Berlekamp algebras in a novel way which provides a deeper understanding of Berlekamp's celebrated factorization algorithm. The book provides a thorough grounding in finite field theory for graduate students and researchers in mathematics. In view of its emphasis on applicable and computational aspects, it is also useful for readers working in information and communication engineering, for instance, in signal processing, coding theory, cryptography or computer science.

Capturing Adriano Garsia's unique perspective on essential topics in algebraic combinatorics, this book consists of selected, classic notes on a number of topics based on lectures held at the University of California, San Diego over the past few decades. The topics presented share a common theme of describing interesting interplays between algebraic topics such as representation theory and elegant structures which are sometimes thought of as being outside the purview of classical combinatorics. The lectures reflect Garsia’s inimitable narrative style and his exceptional expository ability. The preface presents the historical viewpoint as well as Garsia's personal insights into the subject matter. The lectures then start with a clear treatment of Alfred Young's construction of the irreducible representations of the symmetric group, seminormal representations and Morphy elements. This is followed by an elegant application of SL(2) representations to algebraic combinatorics. The last two lectures are on heaps, continued fractions and orthogonal polynomials with applications, and finally there is an exposition on the theory of finite fields. The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in the field.

Erdős asked how many distinct distances must there be in a set of n n points in the plane. Falconer asked a continuous analogue, essentially asking what is the minimal Hausdorff dimension required of a compact set in order to guarantee that the set of distinct distances has positive Lebesgue measure in R R. The finite field distance problem poses the analogous question in a vector space over a finite field. The problem is relatively new but remains tantalizingly out of reach. This book provides an accessible, exciting summary of known results. The tools used range over combinatorics, number theory, analysis, and algebra. The intended audience is graduate students and advanced undergraduates interested in investigating the unknown dimensions of the problem. Results available until now only in the research literature are clearly explained and beautifully motivated. A concluding chapter opens up connections to related topics in combinatorics and number theory: incidence theory, sum-product phenomena, Waring's problem, and the Kakeya conjecture.

I. Introduction 1. Finite fields 2. Projective spaces and algebraic varieties II. Elementary general properties 3. Subspaces 4. Partitions 5. Canonical forms for varieties and polarities III. The line and the plane 6. The line 7. First properties of the plane 8. Ovals 9. Arithmetic of arcs of degree two 10. Arcs in ovals 11. Cubic curves 12. Arcs of higher degree 13. Blocking sets 14. Small planes Appendix Notation References.