Polycyclic groups are built from cyclic groups in a specific way. They arise in many contexts within group theory itself but also more generally in algebra, for example in the theory of Noetherian rings. The first half of this book develops the standard group theoretic techniques for studying polycyclic groups and the basic properties of these groups. The second half then focuses specifically on the ring theoretic properties of polycyclic groups and their applications, often to purely group theoretic situations. The book is intended to be a study manual for graduate students and researchers coming into contact with polycyclic groups, where the main lines of the subject can be learned from scratch. Thus it has been kept short and readable with a view that it can be read and worked through from cover to cover. At the end of each topic covered there is a description without proofs, but with full references, of further developments in the area. An extensive bibliography then concludes the book.

Linear Groups: The Accent on Infinite Dimensionality explores some of the main results and ideas in the study of infinite-dimensional linear groups. The theory of finite dimensional linear groups is one of the best developed algebraic theories. The array of articles devoted to this topic is enormous, and there are many monographs concerned with matrix groups, ranging from old, classical texts to ones published more recently. However, in the case when the dimension is infinite (and such cases arise quite often), the reality is quite different. The situation with the study of infinite dimensional linear groups is like the situation that has developed in the theory of groups, in the transition from the study of finite groups to the study of infinite groups which appeared about one hundred years ago. It is well known that this transition was extremely efficient and led to the development of a rich and central branch of algebra: Infinite group theory. The hope is that this book can be part of a similar transition in the field of linear groups. Features This is the first book dedicated to infinite-dimensional linear groups This is written for experts and graduate students specializing in algebra and parallel disciplines This book discusses a very new theory and accumulates many important and useful results

This book complements the authors’ monograph Cellular Automata and Groups [CAG] (Springer Monographs in Mathematics). It consists of more than 600 fully solved exercises in symbolic dynamics and geometric group theory with connections to geometry and topology, ring and module theory, automata theory and theoretical computer science. Each solution is detailed and entirely self-contained, in the sense that it only requires a standard undergraduate-level background in abstract algebra and general topology, together with results established in [CAG] and in previous exercises. It includes a wealth of gradually worked out examples and counterexamples presented here for the first time in textbook form. Additional comments provide some historical and bibliographical information, including an account of related recent developments and suggestions for further reading. The eight-chapter division from [CAG] is maintained. Each chapter begins with a summary of the main definitions and results contained in the corresponding chapter of [CAG]. The book is suitable either for classroom or individual use. Foreword by Rostislav I. Grigorchuk

This book is the second part of the new edition of Advanced Modern Algebra (the first part published as Graduate Studies in Mathematics, Volume 165). Compared to the previous edition, the material has been significantly reorganized and many sections have been rewritten. The book presents many topics mentioned in the first part in greater depth and in more detail. The five chapters of the book are devoted to group theory, representation theory, homological algebra, categories, and commutative algebra, respectively. The book can be used as a text for a second abstract algebra graduate course, as a source of additional material to a first abstract algebra graduate course, or for self-study.