Galois theory, the study of the structure and symmetry of a polynomial or associated field extension, is a standard tool for showing the insolvability of a quintic equation by radicals. On the other hand, the Inverse Galois Problem, given a finite group G, find a finite extension of the rational field Q whose Galois group is G, is still an open problem. We give an introduction to the Inverse Galois Problem and compare some radically different approaches to finding an extension of Q that gives a desired Galois group. In particular, a proof of the Kronecker-Weber theorem, that any finite extension of Q with an abelian Galois group is contained in a cyclotomic extension, will be discussed using an approach relying on the study of ramified prime ideals. In contrast, a different method will be explored that defines rigid groups to be groups where a selection of conjugacy classes satisfies a series of specific properties. Under the right conditions, such a group is also guaranteed to be the Galois group of an extension of Q. / Master of Science

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: See the full text for the abstract / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sien die volteks vir die opsomming

This thesis is concerned with the Regular Inverse Galois Problem for p-groups over fields of characteristic unequal to p. Building upon results of Saltman, Dentzer characterized a class of finite groups that are automatically realized over every field, and proceeded to show that every group of order dividing p⁴ belongs to this class. We extend this result to include groups of order p⁵, provided that the base field k contains the p³-th roots of unity. The proof involves reducing to certain Brauer embedding problems defined over the rational function field k(x). Through explicit computation, we describe the cohomological obstructions to these embedding problems. Then by applying results about the Brauer group of a Dedekind domain, we show that they all possess solutions. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.