The piecewise linear group is the set of all piecewise linear orientation preserving homeomorphisms from the interval to itself under the operation of composition. We present here a complete set of invariants to classify the conjugacy classes of this group. Our approach to this problem relies on the factorization of elements into elements having only a single breakpoint.

Representation theory is the study of abstract algebraic structures by representing their elements as linear transformations or matrices. It provides a bridge between the abstract symbolic mathematics and its explicit applications in nearly every branch of mathematics. Combinatorial representation theory aims to use combinatorial objects to model representations, thus answering questions in this field combinatorially. Combinatorial objects are used to help describe, count and generate representations. This has led to a rich symbiotic relationship where combinatorics has helped answer algebraic questions and algebraic techniques have helped answer combinatorial questions. In this thesis we discuss the representation theory of the symmetric group and the general linear group. The theory of these two families of groups is often considered the corner stone of combinatorial representation theory. Results and techniques arising from the study of these groups have been successfully generalized to a very wide class of groups. An overview of some of the generalizations can be found in [BR99]. There are also many avenues for further generalizations which are currently being explored. The constructions of the Specht and Schur modules that we discuss here use the concept of Young tableaux. Young tableaux are combinatorial objects that were introduced by the Reverend Alfred Young, a mathematician at Cambridge University, in 1901. In 1903, Georg Frobenius applied them to the study of the symmetric group. Since then, they have been found to play an important role in the study of symmetric functions, representation theory of the symmetric and complex general linear groups and Schubert calculus of Grassmannians. Applications of Young tableaux to other branches of mathematics are still being discovered. When drawing and labelling Young tableaux there are a few conflicting conventions in the literature, throughout this thesis we shall be following the English notation. In chapter 1 we shall make a few definitions and state some results which will be used in this thesis. In chapter 2 we discuss the representations of the symmetric group. In this chapter we define the Specht modules and prove that they describe all the irreducible representations of Sn. We conclude with a discussion about the ring of Sn representations which is used to prove some identities of Specht modules. In chapter 3 we discuss the representations of the general linear group. In this chapter we define the Schur modules and prove that they describe all the irreducible rational representations of GLmC. We also show that the set of tableaux forms an indexing set for a basis of the Schur modules. In chapter 4 we describe a relation between the Specht and Schur modules. This is a corollary to the more general Schur-Weyl duality, an overview of which can be found in [BR99]. The appendix contains the code and screen-shots of two computer programs that were written as part of this thesis. The programs have been written in C++ and the data structures have been implemented using the Standard Template Library. The first program gives us information about the representations of Sn for a given n. For a user defined n it will list all the Specht modules corresponding to that n, their dimensions and the standard tableaux corresponding to their basis elements. The second program gives information about a certain representation of GLmC. For a user defined m and λ it gives the dimension and the semistandard tableaux corresponding to the basis elements of the Schur module Eλ .

Este projeto de mestrado tem por objetivo dar uma prova elementar do seguinte teorema de Tits, conhecido como Teorema da Alternativa de Tits: Seja G um grupo linear finitamente gerado sobre um corpo. Então G é solúvel por finito ou G contém um grupo livre não cíclico. Este teorema, que foi provado por J. Tits em 1972 [4], foi considerado pelo matemático J.P. Serre como um dos mais importantes resultados de álgebra do século XX. Quando dizemos uma prova elementar, não queremos absolutamente te dizer uma prova simples. Seguiremos a prova simplificada de John D. Dixon / This masters project aims to give an elementary proof of the following theorem of Tits, known as the Alternative Tits Theorem: Let G be a finitely generated linear group over a field. Then either G is solvable by finite or G contains a noncyclic free subgroup. This theorem was proved by J. Tits in 1972 [4], was considered by the mathematician J.P. Serre, as one of the most important algebra results of the XX century. When we say an elementary proof, we absolutely not mean a simple proof. We will follow the simplified proof of John D. Dixon

The main goal of this thesis is a contribution to the classification of all incidence geometries of rank two on which some group PSL(2,q), q a prime power, acts flag-transitively. Actually we require that the action be RWPRI (residually weakly primitive) and (2T)1 (doubly transitive on every residue of rank one). In fact our definition of RWPRI requires the geometry to be firm (each residue of rank one has at least two elements) and RC (residually connected). The main goal is achieved in this thesis. It is stated in our "Main Theorem". The proof of this theorem requires more than 60pages. Quite surprisingly, our proof in the direction of the main goal uses essentially the classification of all subgroups of PSL(2,q), a famous result provided in Dickson’s book "Linear groups: With an exposition of the Galois field theory", section 260, in which the group is called Linear Fractional Group LF(n, pn). Our proof requires to work with all ordered pairs of subgroups up to conjugacy. The restrictions such as RWPRI and (2T)1 allow for a complete analysis. The geometries obtained in our "Main Theorem" are bipartite graphs; and also locally 2-arc-transitive graphs in the sense of Giudici, Li and Cheryl Praeger. These graphs are interesting in their own right because of the numerous connections they have with other fields of mathematics.

Este projeto de mestrado tem por objetivo dar uma prova elementar do seguinte teorema de Tits, conhecido como Teorema da Alternativa de Tits: Seja G um grupo linear finitamente gerado sobre um corpo. Então G é solúvel por finito ou G contém um grupo livre não cíclico. Este teorema, que foi provado por J. Tits em 1972 [4], foi considerado pelo matemático J.P. Serre como um dos mais importantes resultados de álgebra do século XX. Quando dizemos uma prova elementar, não queremos absolutamente te dizer uma prova simples. Seguiremos a prova simplificada de John D. Dixon / This masters project aims to give an elementary proof of the following theorem of Tits, known as the Alternative Tits Theorem: Let G be a finitely generated linear group over a field. Then either G is solvable by finite or G contains a noncyclic free subgroup. This theorem was proved by J. Tits in 1972 [4], was considered by the mathematician J.P. Serre, as one of the most important algebra results of the XX century. When we say an elementary proof, we absolutely not mean a simple proof. We will follow the simplified proof of John D. Dixon

In this paper linear representations of finite groups are introduced, and the associated character theory with it. Some work of linear representations of the dihedral group $D_n$ and the symmetric group $S_n$ is presented. \\We also take a look at the finite matrix groups $\textbf{GL}(\mathbb{F}_q)$ and $\textbf{SL}(\mathbb{F}_q)$. The character table for $\textbf{SL}(\mathbb{F}_4)$ and its representation spaces in an implicit form are calculated. We define the standard representation $\varphi $ of $\textbf{SL}(\mathbb{F}_q)$ and prove that it is irreducible for an arbitrary finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$.

Based on Cohn and Umans’ group-theoretic method, we embed matrix multiplication into several group algebras, including those of cyclic groups, dihedral groups, special linear groups and Frobenius groups. We prove that SL2(Fp) and PSL2(Fp) can realize the matrix tensor ⟨p, p, p⟩, i.e. it is possible to encode p × p matrix multiplication in the group algebra of such a group. We also find the lower bound for the order of an abelian group realizing ⟨n, n, n⟩ is n3. For Frobenius groups of the form Cq Cp, where p and q are primes, we find that the smallest admissible value of q must be in the range p4/3 ≤ q ≤ p2 − 2p + 3. We also develop an algorithm to find the smallest q for a given prime p.

This thesis explores connections between the Gaudin Hamiltonians in type A and the combinatorics of tableaux. The cactus group acts on standard tableaux via the Schützenberger involution. We show in this thesis that the action of the cactus group on standard tableaux can be recovered as a monodromy action of the cactus group on the simultaneous spectrum of the Gaudin Hamiltonians. More precisely, we consider the action of the Bethe algebra, which contains the Gaudin Hamiltonians, on the multiplicity space of a tensor product of irreducible glr-modules. The spectrum of this algebra forms a flat and finite family over M0,n+1(C). We use work of Mukhin, Tarasov and Varchenko, who link this spectrum to certain Schubert intersections, and work of Speyer, who extends these Schubert intersections to a flat and finite map over the entire moduli space of stable curves M0,n+1(C). We show the monodromy over the real points M0,n+1(R) can be identified with the action of the cactus group on a tensor product of irreducible glr-crystals. Furthermore we show this identification is canonical with respect to natural labelling sets on both sides.

In this thesis, we will give our discovery of original symmetric presentations of several important groups. We have investigated permutation and monomial progenitors 2*8: (23: 22), 2*9: (32: 24), 2*10: (24: (2 × 5)), 5*4:m (23: 22), 7*8:m (32: 24), and 3*5:m (24: (2 × 5)). The finite images of the above progenitors include the Mathieu sporadic group M12, the linear groups L2(8) and L2(13), and the extensions S6 × 2, 28 : .L2(8) , and 27 : .A5. We will show our construction of the four groups S3 , L2(8), L2(13), and S6 × 2 over S3, 22, S3 : 2, and S5, by using the technique of double coset enumeration. We will also provide isomorphism types all of the groups that have appeared as finite homomorphic images. We will show that the group L2(8) does not satisfy the conditions of Iwasawas Lemma and that the group L2(13) is simple by Iwasawas Lemma. We give constructions of M22 × 2 and M22 as homomorphic images of the progenitor S6.

The main goal of this thesis is a contribution to the classification of all incidence geometries<p>of rank two on which some group PSL(2,q), q a prime power, acts flag-transitively.<p>Actually we require that the action be RWPRI (residually weakly primitive) and (2T)1<p>(doubly transitive on every residue of rank one). In fact our definition of RWPRI requires<p>the geometry to be firm (each residue of rank one has at least two elements) and RC<p>(residually connected).<p><p>The main goal is achieved in this thesis.<p>It is stated in our "Main Theorem". The proof of this theorem requires more than 60pages.<p><p>Quite surprisingly, our proof in the direction of the main goal uses essentially the classification<p>of all subgroups of PSL(2,q), a famous result provided in Dickson’s book "Linear groups: With an exposition of the Galois field theory", section 260, in which the group is called Linear Fractional Group LF(n, pn).<p><p>Our proof requires to work with all ordered pairs of subgroups up to conjugacy.<p><p>The restrictions such as RWPRI and (2T)1 allow for a complete analysis.<p><p>The geometries obtained in our "Main Theorem" are bipartite graphs; and also locally 2-arc-transitive<p>graphs in the sense of Giudici, Li and Cheryl Praeger. These graphs are interesting in their own right because of<p>the numerous connections they have with other fields of mathematics. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished