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On several occasions I and colleagues have found ourselves teaching a o- semester course for students at the second year of graduate study in ma- ematics who want to gain a general perspective on Jordan algebras, their structure, and their role in mathematics, or want to gain direct experience with nonassociative algebra. These students typically have a solid grounding in ?rst¿year graduate algebra and the Artin¿Wedderburn theory of assoc- tive algebras, and a few have been introduced to Lie algebras (perhaps even Cayley algebras, in an o?hand way), but otherwise they have not seen any nonassociative algebras. Most of them will not go on to do research in non- sociative algebra, so the course is not primarily meant to be a training or breeding ground for research, though the instructor often hopes that one or two will be motivated to pursue the subject further. This text is meant to serve as an accompaniment to such a course. It is designed ?rst and foremost to be read by students on their own without assistance by a teacher. It is a direct mathematical conversation between the author and a reader whose mind (as far as nonassociative algebra goes) is a tabula rasa. In keeping with the tone of a private conversation, I give more heuristicandexplanatorycommentthanisusualingraduatetextsatthislevel (pep talks, philosophical pronouncements on the proper way to think about certain concepts, historical anecdotes, mention of some mathematicians who have contributed to our understanding of Jordan algebras, etc.

From reviews of the German edition: "This is an exciting text and a refreshing contribution to an area in which challenges continue to flourish and to captivate the viewer. Even though representation theory and constructions of simple groups have been omitted, the text serves as a springboard for deeper study in many directions. One who completes this text not only gains an appreciation of both the depth and the breadth of the theory of finite groups, but also witnesses the evolutionary development of concepts that form a basis for current investigations. This is accomplished by providing a thread that permits a natural flow from one concept to another rather than compartmentalizing. Operators on sets and groups are introduced early and used effectively throughout. The bibliography provides excellent supplemental support...The text is tight; there is no fluff. The format builds on concepts essential for later expansion and associated reading. On occasion, results are stated without proof; continuity is maintained. Several proofs are provided free of representation theory on which the originals were based. More generally the proofs are direct, perhaps at times brief. The focus is on the underlying structural components, with selected details left to the reader. As a result the reader develops the maturity required for approaching the literature with confidence. The first eight chapters have an abundance of exercises, not prorated, and some of the more challenging are addressed later in the text. Due to the nature of the material, fewer exercises appear in the remaining chapters." (H. Bechtell, Mathematical Reviews)

A Polynomial Approach to Linear Algebra is a text which is heavily biased towards functional methods. In using the shift operator as a central object, it makes linear algebra a perfect introduction to other areas of mathematics, operator theory in particular. This technique is very powerful as becomes clear from the analysis of canonical forms (Frobenius, Jordan). It should be emphasized that these functional methods are not only of great theoretical interest, but lead to computational algorithms. Quadratic forms are treated from the same perspective, with emphasis on the important examples of Bezoutian and Hankel forms. These topics are of great importance in applied areas such as signal processing, numerical linear algebra, and control theory. Stability theory and system theoretic concepts, up to realization theory, are treated as an integral part of linear algebra. This new edition has been updated throughout, in particular new sections  have been added on rational interpolation, interpolation using H^{\nfty} functions, and tensor products of models.Review from first edition:"...the approach pursed by the author is of unconventional beauty and the material covered by the book is unique." (Mathematical Reviews)

This text is intended for a one-semester course in cryptography at the advanced undergraduate/Master's degree level.  It is suitable for students from various STEM backgrounds, including engineering, mathematics, and computer science, and may also be attractive for researchers and professionals who want to learn the basics of cryptography. Advanced knowledge of computer science or mathematics (other than elementary programming skills) is not assumed. The book includes more material than can be covered in a single semester. The Preface provides a suggested outline for a single semester course, though instructors are encouraged to select their own topics to reflect their specific requirements and interests. Each chapter contains a set of carefully written exercises which prompts review of the material in the chapter and expands on the concepts.  Throughout the book, problems are stated mathematically, then algorithms are devised to solve the problems. Students are tasked to write computer programs (in C++ or GAP) to implement the algorithms.   The use of programming skills to solve practical problems adds extra value to the use of this text.This book combines mathematical theory with practical applications to computer information systems. The fundamental concepts of classical and modern cryptography are discussed in relation to probability theory, complexity theory, modern algebra, and number theory.  An overarching theme is cyber security:  security of the cryptosystems and the key generation and distribution protocols, and methods of cryptanalysis (i.e., code breaking). It contains chapters on probability theory, information theory and entropy, complexity theory, and the algebraic and number theoretic foundations of cryptography.  The book then reviews symmetric key cryptosystems, and discusses one-way trap door functions and public key cryptosystems including RSA and  ElGamal.  It contains a chapter on digital signature schemes, including material on message authentication and forgeries, and chapters on key generation and distribution. It contains a chapter on elliptic curve cryptography, including new material on the relationship between singular curves, algebraic groups and Hopf algebras.  

"e;Can one hear the shape of a drum?"e; This striking question, made famous by Mark Kac, conceals a precise mathematical problem, whose study led to sophisticated mathematics. This textbook presents the theory underlying the problem, for the first time in a form accessible to students.Specifically, this book provides a detailed presentation of Sunada's method and the construction of non-isometric yet isospectral drum membranes, as first discovered by Gordon-Webb-Wolpert. The book begins with an introductory chapter on Spectral Geometry, emphasizing isospectrality and providing a panoramic view (without proofs) of the Sunada-Berard-Buser strategy. The rest of the book consists of three chapters. Chapter 2 gives an elementary treatment of flat surfaces and describes Buser's combinatorial method to construct a flat surface with a given group of isometries (a Buser surface). Chapter 3 proves the main isospectrality theorems and describes the transplantation technique on Buser surfaces. Chapter 4 builds Gordon-Webb-Wolpert domains from Buser surfaces and establishes their isospectrality.Richly illustrated and supported by four substantial appendices, this book is suitable for lecture courses to students having completed introductory graduate courses in algebra, analysis, differential geometry and topology. It also offers researchers an elegant, self-contained reference on the topic of isospectrality.

This book gives an introduction to discrete-time Markov chains which evolve on a separable metric space. The focus is on the ergodic properties of such chains, i.e., on their long-term statistical behaviour. Among the main topics are existence and uniqueness of invariant probability measures, irreducibility, recurrence, regularizing properties for Markov kernels, and convergence to equilibrium. These concepts are investigated with tools such as Lyapunov functions, petite and small sets, Doeblin and accessible points, coupling, as well as key notions from classical ergodic theory. The theory is illustrated through several recurring classes of examples, e.g., random contractions, randomly switched vector fields, and stochastic differential equations, the latter providing a bridge to continuous-time Markov processes.  The book can serve as the core for a semester- or year-long graduate course in probability theory with an emphasis on Markov chains or random dynamics. Some of the material is also well suited for an ergodic theory course. Readers should have taken an introductory course on probability theory, based on measure theory. While there is a chapter devoted to chains on a countable state space, a certain familiarity with Markov chains on a finite state space is also recommended.