Thisbookisintendedasanintroductiontoallthe?nitesimplegroups.During themonumentalstruggletoclassifythe?nitesimplegroups(andindeedsince), a huge amount of information about these groups has been accumulated. Conveyingthisinformationtothenextgenerationofstudentsandresearchers, not to mention those who might wish to apply this knowledge, has become a major challenge. With the publication of the two volumes by Aschbacher and Smith [12, 13] in 2004 we can reasonably regard the proof of the Classi?cation Theorem for Finite Simple Groups (usually abbreviated CFSG) as complete. Thus it is timely to attempt an overview of all the (non-abelian) ?nite simple groups in one volume. For expository purposes it is convenient to divide them into four basic types, namely the alternating, classical, exceptional and sporadic groups. The study of alternating groups soon develops into the theory of per- tation groups, which is well served by the classic text of Wielandt [170]and more modern treatments such as the comprehensive introduction by Dixon and Mortimer [53] and more specialised texts such as that of Cameron [19].

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

Classification of Finite Simple Groups, one of the most monumental accomplishments of modern mathematics, was announced in 1983 with the proof completed in 2004. Since then, it has opened up a new and powerful strategy to approach and resolve many previously inaccessible problems in group theory, number theory, combinatorics, coding theory, algebraic geometry, and other areas of mathematics. This strategy crucially utilizes various information about finite simple groups, part of which is catalogued in the Atlas of Finite Groups (John H. Conway et al.), and in An Atlas of Brauer Characters (Christoph Jansen et al.). It is impossible to overestimate the roles of the Atlases and the related computer algebra systems in the everyday life of researchers in many areas of contemporary mathematics. The main objective of the conference was to discuss numerous applications of the Atlases and to explore recent developments and future directions of research, with focus on the interaction between computation and theory and applications to number theory and algebraic geometry. The papers in this volume are based on talks given at the conference. They present a comprehensive survey on current research in all of these fields.

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'.

In February 1981, the classification of the finite simple groups (Dl)* was completed,t. * representing one of the most remarkable achievements in the history or mathematics. Involving the combined efforts of several hundred mathematicians from around the world over a period of 30 years, the full proof covered something between 5,000 and 10,000 journal pages, spread over 300 to 500 individual papers. The single result that, more than any other, opened up the field and foreshadowed the vastness of the full classification proof was the celebrated theorem of Walter Feit and John Thompson in 1962, which stated that every finite group of odd order (D2) is solvable (D3)-a statement expressi ble in a single line, yet its proof required a full 255-page issue of the Pacific 10urnal of Mathematics [93]. Soon thereafter, in 1965, came the first new sporadic simple group in over 100 years, the Zvonimir Janko group 1 , to further stimulate the 1 'To make the book as self-contained as possible. we are including definitions of various terms as they occur in the text. However. in order not to disrupt the continuity of the discussion. we have placed them at the end of the Introduction. We denote these definitions by (DI). (D2), (D3). etc.

"The Classification Theorem is one of the main achievements of 20th century mathematics, but its proof has not yet been completely extricated from the journal literature in which it first appeared. This is the second volume in a series devoted to the presentation of a reorganized and simplified proof of the classification of the finite simple groups. The authors present (with either proof or reference to a proof) those theorems of abstract finite group theory, which are fundamental to the analysis in later volumes in the series. This volume provides a relatively concise and readable access to the key ideas and theorems underlying the study of finite simple groups and their important subgroups. The sections on semisimple subgroups and subgroups of parabolic type give detailed treatments of these important subgroups, including some results not available until now or available only in journal literature. The signalizer section provides an extensive development of both the Bender Method and the Signalizer Functor Method, which play a central role in the proof of the Classification Theorem. This book would be a valuable companion text for a graduate group theory course."--Publisher's website

Comprehensive text which develops the notion of symmetric generation and applies the technique to sporadic simple groups.