An up-to-date and self-contained introduction based on a graduate course taught at the University of Paris.

Through the fundamental work of Deligne and Lusztig in the 1970s, further developed mainly by Lusztig, the character theory of reductive groups over finite fields has grown into a rich and vast area of mathematics. It incorporates tools and methods from algebraic geometry, topology, combinatorics and computer algebra, and has since evolved substantially. With this book, the authors meet the need for a contemporary treatment, complementing in core areas the well-established books of Carter and Digne–Michel. Focusing on applications in finite group theory, the authors gather previously scattered results and allow the reader to get to grips with the large body of literature available on the subject, covering topics such as regular embeddings, the Jordan decomposition of characters, d-Harish–Chandra theory and Lusztig induction for unipotent characters. Requiring only a modest background in algebraic geometry, this useful reference is suitable for beginning graduate students as well as researchers.

Originating from a summer school taught by the authors, this concise treatment includes many of the main results in the area. An introductory chapter describes the fundamental results on linear algebraic groups, culminating in the classification of semisimple groups. The second chapter introduces more specialized topics in the subgroup structure of semisimple groups and describes the classification of the maximal subgroups of the simple algebraic groups. The authors then systematically develop the subgroup structure of finite groups of Lie type as a consequence of the structural results on algebraic groups. This approach will help students to understand the relationship between these two classes of groups. The book covers many topics that are central to the subject, but missing from existing textbooks. The authors provide numerous instructive exercises and examples for those who are learning the subject as well as more advanced topics for research students working in related areas.

The finite groups of Lie type are of basic importance in the theory of groups. A classic in its field, this book presents the theories of finite groups of Lie type in a clear and accessible style, especially with regard to the main concepts of the theory and the techniques of proof used, and gives a detailed exposition of the complex representation theory.

A comprehensive treatment of the representation theory of finite groups of Lie type over a field of the defining prime characteristic.

Now available in paperback--the standard introduction to the theory of simple groups of Lie type. In 1955, Chevalley showed how to construct analogues of the complex simple Lie groups over arbitrary fields. The present work presents the basic results in the structure theory of Chevalley groups and their twisted analogues. Carter looks at groups of automorphisms of Lie algebras, makes good use of Weyl group (also discussing Lie groups over finite fields), and develops the theory of Chevalley and Steinberg groups in the general context of groups with a (B,N)-pair. This new edition contains a corrected proof of the simplicity of twisted groups, a completed list of sporadic simple groups in the final chapter and a few smaller amendments; otherwise, this work remains the classic piece of exposition it was when it first appeared in 1971.

Examines the internal structure of the finite simple groups of Lie type, the finite alternating groups, and 26 sporadic finite simple groups, as well as their analogues. Emphasis is on the structure of local subgroups and their relationships with one another, rather than development of an abstract theory of simple groups. A foundation is laid for the development of specific properties of K-groups to be used in the inductive proof of the classification theorem. Highlights include statements and proofs of the Breol-Tits and Curtis-Tits theorems, and material on centralizers of semisimple involutions in groups of Lie type. For graduate students and research mathematicians. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Expander graphs are an important tool in theoretical computer science, geometric group theory, probability, and number theory. Furthermore, the techniques used to rigorously establish the expansion property of a graph draw from such diverse areas of mathematics as representation theory, algebraic geometry, and arithmetic combinatorics. This text focuses on the latter topic in the important case of Cayley graphs on finite groups of Lie type, developing tools such as Kazhdan's property (T), quasirandomness, product estimates, escape from subvarieties, and the Balog-Szemerédi-Gowers lemma. Applications to the affine sieve of Bourgain, Gamburd, and Sarnak are also given. The material is largely self-contained, with additional sections on the general theory of expanders, spectral theory, Lie theory, and the Lang-Weil bound, as well as numerous exercises and other optional material.

The cohomology of groups has, since its beginnings in the 1920s and 1930s, been the stage for significant interaction between algebra and topology and has led to the creation of important new fields in mathematics, like homological algebra and algebraic K-theory. This is the first book to deal comprehensively with the cohomology of finite groups: it introduces the most important and useful algebraic and topological techniques, and describes the interplay of the subject with those of homotopy theory, representation theory and group actions. The combination of theory and examples, together with the techniques for computing the cohomology of important classes of groups including symmetric groups, alternating groups, finite groups of Lie type, and some of the sporadic simple groups, enable readers to acquire an in-depth understanding of group cohomology and its extensive applications.

Provides an outline and modern overview of the classification of the finite simple groups. It primarily covers the 'even case', where the main groups arising are Lie-type (matrix) groups over a field of characteristic 2. The book thus completes a project begun by Daniel Gorenstein's 1983 book, which outlined the classification of groups of 'noncharacteristic 2 type'.