Applied Finite Group Actions (2nd rev. and exp. ed. 1999)

Also the present second edition of this book is an introduction to the theory of clas­ sification, enumeration, construction and generation of finite unlabeled structures in mathematics and sciences.

Since the publication of the first edition in 1991 the constructive theory of un­ labeled finite structures has made remarkable progress.

For example, the first- designs with moderate parameters were constructed, in Bayreuth, by the end of 1994 ([9]).

The crucial steps were - the prescription of a suitable group of automorphisms, i. e. a stabilizer, and the corresponding use of Kramer-Mesner matrices, together with - an implementation of an improved version of the LLL-algorithm that allowed to find 0-1-solutions of a system of linear equations with the Kramer-Mesner matrix as its matrix of coefficients. of matrices of the The Kramer-Mesner matrices can be considered as submatrices form A" (see the chapter on group actions on posets, semigroups and lattices).

They are associated with the action of the prescribed group G which is a permutation group on a set X of points induced on the power set of X.

Hence the discovery of the first 7-designs with small parameters is due to an application of finite group actions.

This method used by A. Betten, R. Laue, A. Wassermann and the present author is described in a section that was added to the manuscript of the first edi­ tion.