Computational Algebraic Number Theory

Book excerpt: Computational algebraic number theory has been attracting broad interest in the last few years due to its potential applications in coding theory and cryptography. For this reason, the Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung initiated an introductory graduate seminar on this topic in Dusseldorf. The lectures given there by the author served as the basis for this book which allows fast access to the state of the art in this area. Special emphasis has been placed on practical algorithms - all developed in the last five years - for the computation of integral bases, the unit group and the class group of arbitrary algebraic number fields. The workshops organized by the Gesselschaft fur mathematische Forschung in cooperation with the Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung (German Mathematics Society) are intended to help, in particular, students and younger mathematicians, to obtain an introduction to fields of current research. Through the means of these well-organized seminars, scientists from other fields can also be introduced to new mathematical ideas. The publication of these workshops in the series DMV SEMINAR will make the material available to an even larger audience.