The theory of finite fields is a branch of algebra that has come to the fore because of its diverse applications in such areas as combinatorics, coding theory and the mathematical study of switching ciruits. This book is devoted entirely to the theory of finite fields, and it provides comprehensive coverage of the literature. Bibliographical notes at the end of each chapter give an historical survey of the development of the subject. Worked-out examples and lists of exercises found throughout the book make it useful as a text for advanced-level courses.

The theory of finite fields is a branch of algebra with diverse applications in such areas as combinatorics, coding theory and the mathematical study of switching circuits. This updated second edition is devoted entirely to the theory of finite fields, and it provides comprehensive coverage of the literature. Bibliographical notes at the end of each chapter give a historical survey of the development of the subject. Worked examples and lists of exercises throughout the book make it useful as a text for advanced level courses for students of algebra.

The theory of finite fields is a branch of modern algebra that has come to the fore in recent years because of its diverse applications in such areas as combinatorics, coding theory, cryptology and the mathematical study of switching circuits. The first part of this book presents an introduction to this theory, emphasizing those aspects that are relevant for application. The second part is devoted to a discussion of the most important applications of finite fields, especially to information theory, algebraic coding theory, and cryptology. There is also a chapter on applications within mathematics, such as finite geometries, combinatorics and pseudo-random sequences. The book is designed as a graduate level textbook; worked examples and copious exercises that range from the routine, to those giving alternative proofs of key theorems, to extensions of material covered in the text, are provided throughout.

This textbook equips graduate students and advanced undergraduates with the necessary theoretical tools for applying algebraic geometry to information theory, and it covers primary applications in coding theory and cryptography. Harald Niederreiter and Chaoping Xing provide the first detailed discussion of the interplay between nonsingular projective curves and algebraic function fields over finite fields. This interplay is fundamental to research in the field today, yet until now no other textbook has featured complete proofs of it. Niederreiter and Xing cover classical applications like algebraic-geometry codes and elliptic-curve cryptosystems as well as material not treated by other books, including function-field codes, digital nets, code-based public-key cryptosystems, and frameproof codes. Combining a systematic development of theory with a broad selection of real-world applications, this is the most comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the field available. * Introduces graduate students and advanced undergraduates to the foundations of algebraic geometry for applications to information theory * Provides the first detailed discussion of the interplay between projective curves and algebraic function fields over finite fields * Includes applications to coding theory and cryptography * Covers the latest advances in algebraic-geometry codes * Features applications to cryptography not treated in other books

This textbook effectively builds a bridge from basic number theory to recent advances in applied number theory. It presents the first unified account of the four major areas of application where number theory plays a fundamental role, namely cryptography, coding theory, quasi-Monte Carlo methods, and pseudorandom number generation, allowing the authors to delineate the manifold links and interrelations between these areas. Number theory, which Carl-Friedrich Gauss famously dubbed the queen of mathematics, has always been considered a very beautiful field of mathematics, producing lovely results and elegant proofs. While only very few real-life applications were known in the past, today number theory can be found in everyday life: in supermarket bar code scanners, in our cars' GPS systems, in online banking, etc. Starting with a brief introductory course on number theory in Chapter 1, which makes the book more accessible for undergraduates, the authors describe the four main application areas in Chapters 2-5 and offer a glimpse of advanced results that are presented without proofs and require more advanced mathematical skills. In the last chapter they review several further applications of number theory, ranging from check-digit systems to quantum computation and the organization of raster-graphics memory. Upper-level undergraduates, graduates and researchers in the field of number theory will find this book to be a valuable resource.

This textbook effectively builds a bridge from basic number theory to recent advances in applied number theory. It presents the first unified account of the four major areas of application where number theory plays a fundamental role, namely cryptography, coding theory, quasi-Monte Carlo methods, and pseudorandom number generation, allowing the authors to delineate the manifold links and interrelations between these areas. Number theory, which Carl-Friedrich Gauss famously dubbed the queen of mathematics, has always been considered a very beautiful field of mathematics, producing lovely results and elegant proofs. While only very few real-life applications were known in the past, today number theory can be found in everyday life: in supermarket bar code scanners, in our cars' GPS systems, in online banking, etc. Starting with a brief introductory course on number theory in Chapter 1, which makes the book more accessible for undergraduates, the authors describe the four main application areas in Chapters 2-5 and offer a glimpse of advanced results that are presented without proofs and require more advanced mathematical skills. In the last chapter they review several further applications of number theory, ranging from check-digit systems to quantum computation and the organization of raster-graphics memory. Upper-level undergraduates, graduates and researchers in the field of number theory will find this book to be a valuable resource.

It has long been recognized that there are fascinating connections between cod ing theory, cryptology, and combinatorics. Therefore it seemed desirable to us to organize a conference that brings together experts from these three areas for a fruitful exchange of ideas. We decided on a venue in the Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain) region, one of the most scenic areas of China, so as to provide the additional inducement of an attractive location. The conference was planned for June 2003 with the official title Workshop on Coding, Cryptography and Combi natorics (CCC 2003). Those who are familiar with events in East Asia in the first half of 2003 can guess what happened in the end, namely the conference had to be cancelled in the interest of the health of the participants. The SARS epidemic posed too serious a threat. At the time of the cancellation, the organization of the conference was at an advanced stage: all invited speakers had been selected and all abstracts of contributed talks had been screened by the program committee. Thus, it was de cided to call on all invited speakers and presenters of accepted contributed talks to submit their manuscripts for publication in the present volume. Altogether, 39 submissions were received and subjected to another round of refereeing. After care ful scrutiny, 28 papers were accepted for publication."

This book presents the refereed proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing, held in Ulm, Germany, in August 2006. The proceedings include carefully selected papers on many aspects of Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods and their applications. They also provide information on current research in these very active areas.

This volume represents the refereed proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scienti?c Computing which was held in conjunction with the Second International C- ference on Monte Carlo and Probabilistic Methods for Partial Di?erential Equations at Juan-les-Pins, France, from 7-10 June 2004. The programme of this conference was arranged by a committee consisting of Henri Faure (U- versit' edeMarseille),PaulGlasserman(ColumbiaUniversity),StefanHeinrich (Universit. at Kaiserslautern), Fred J. Hickernell (Hong Kong Baptist Univ- sity), Damien Lamberton (Universit' e de Marne la Vall' ee), Bernard Lapeyre (ENPC-CERMICS), Pierre L'Ecuyer (Universit'edeMontr' eal), Pierre-Louis Lions (Coll' ege de France), Harald Niederreiter (National University of S- gapore, co-chair), Erich Novak (Universit. at Jena), Art B. Owen (Stanford University), Gilles Pag' es (Universit' e Paris 6), Philip Protter (Cornell U- versity), Ian H. Sloan (University of New South Wales), Denis Talay (INRIA Sophia Antipolis, co-chair), Simon Tavar' e (University of Southern California) and Henryk Wo' zniakowski (Columbia University and University of Warsaw). The organization of the conference was arranged by a committee consisting of Mireille Bossy and Etienne Tanr' e (INRIA Sophia Antipolis), and Madalina Deaconu(INRIALorraine). LocalarrangementswereinthehandsofMonique Simonetti and Marie-Line Ramfos (INRIA Sophia Antipolis).

It has long been recognized that there are fascinating connections between cod ing theory, cryptology, and combinatorics. Therefore it seemed desirable to us to organize a conference that brings together experts from these three areas for a fruitful exchange of ideas. We decided on a venue in the Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain) region, one of the most scenic areas of China, so as to provide the additional inducement of an attractive location. The conference was planned for June 2003 with the official title Workshop on Coding, Cryptography and Combi natorics (CCC 2003). Those who are familiar with events in East Asia in the first half of 2003 can guess what happened in the end, namely the conference had to be cancelled in the interest of the health of the participants. The SARS epidemic posed too serious a threat. At the time of the cancellation, the organization of the conference was at an advanced stage: all invited speakers had been selected and all abstracts of contributed talks had been screened by the program committee. Thus, it was de cided to call on all invited speakers and presenters of accepted contributed talks to submit their manuscripts for publication in the present volume. Altogether, 39 submissions were received and subjected to another round of refereeing. After care ful scrutiny, 28 papers were accepted for publication."

This volume contains the refereed proceedings of the Fifth International Con- ference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Com- puting (MCQMC 2002) which was held at the National University of Sin- gapore from 25-28 November 2002. The programme of this conference was arranged by a committee consisting of Kai-Tai Fang (Hong Kong Baptist University), Paul Glasserman (Columbia University), Stefan Heinrich (Uni- versitat Kaiserslautern), Fred J. Hickernell (Hong Kong Baptist University), Pierre L'Ecuyer (Universite de Montreal), Harald Niederreiter (National Uni- versity of Singapore, chair), Erich Novak (Universitat Jena), Art B. Owen (Stanford University), Ian H. Sloan (University of New South Wales), Jerome Spanier (Claremont Graduate University), Denis Talay (INRIA Sophia An- tipolis), Simon Tavare (University of Southern California), Jian-Sheng Wang (National University of Singapore) and Henryk Wozniakowski (Columbia Uni- versity and University of Warsaw). MCQMC 2002 continued the tradition of biennial MCQMC conferences which was begun at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, in June 1994 and followed by conferences at the University of Salzburg, Austria, in July 1996, the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, California, USA, in June 1998 and Hong Kong Baptist University in Hong Kong, China, in November 2000. The proceedings of these previous conferences were all published by Springer-Verlag, under the titles Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Meth- ods in Scientific Computing (H. Niederreiter and P. J. -S. Shiue, eds. ), Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods 1996 (H. Niederreiter, P.

This book represents the refereed proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing which was held at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2000. An important feature are invited surveys of the state-of-the-art in key areas such as multidimensional numerical integration, low-discrepancy point sets, random number generation, and applications of Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods. These proceedings include also carefully selected contributed papers on all aspects of Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods. The reader will be informed about current research in this very active field.

This book represents the refereed proceedings of the Third International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing which was held at Claremont Graduate University in 1998. An important feature are invited surveys of the state of the art in key areas such as multidimensional numerical integration, low-discrepancy point sets, random number generation, and applications of Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods. These proceedings include also carefully selected contributed papers on all aspects of Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods. The reader will be informed about current research in this very active area.

Monte Carlo methods are numerical methods based on random sampling and quasi-Monte Carlo methods are their deterministic versions. This volume contains the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing which was held at the University of Salzburg (Austria) from July 9--12, 1996. The conference was a forum for recent progress in the theory and the applications of these methods. The topics covered in this volume range from theoretical issues in Monte Carlo and simulation methods, low-discrepancy point sets and sequences, lattice rules, and pseudorandom number generation to applications such as numerical integration, numerical linear algebra, integral equations, binary search, global optimization, computational physics, mathematical finance, and computer graphics. These proceedings will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods, to numerical analysts, and to practitioners of simulation methods.

Scientists and engineers are increasingly making use of simulation methods to solve problems which are insoluble by analytical techniques. Monte Carlo methods which make use of probabilistic simulations are frequently used in areas such as numerical integration, complex scheduling, queueing networks, and large-dimensional simulations. This collection of papers arises from a conference held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 1994. The conference brought together researchers across a range of disciplines whose interests include the theory and application of these methods. This volume provides a timely survey of this field and the new directions in which the field is moving.

Rational points on algebraic curves over finite fields is a key topic for algebraic geometers and coding theorists. Here, the authors relate an important application of such curves, namely, to the construction of low-discrepancy sequences, needed for numerical methods in diverse areas. They sum up the theoretical work on algebraic curves over finite fields with many rational points and discuss the applications of such curves to algebraic coding theory and the construction of low-discrepancy sequences.