Galois Fields And Galois Rings Made Easy

This second edition addresses the question of which finite groups occur as Galois groups over a given field. In particular, this includes the question of the structure and the representations of the absolute Galois group of K, as well as its finite epimorphic images, generally referred to as the inverse problem of Galois theory.

In this volume we present a survey of the theory of Galois module structure for rings of algebraic integers. This theory has experienced a rapid growth in the last ten to twelve years, acquiring mathematical depth and significance and leading to new insights also in other branches of algebraic number theory.

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.

The present textbook is a lively, problem-oriented and carefully written introduction to classical modern algebra. The author leads the reader through interesting subject matter, while assuming only the background provided by a first course in linear algebra.

This textbook offers a unique introduction to classical Galois theory through many concrete examples and exercises of varying difficulty (including computer-assisted exercises).