Combinatorial Design Theory

Book excerpt: Combinatorial design theory is a vibrant area of combinatorics, connecting graph theory, number theory, geometry, and algebra with applications in experimental design, coding theory, and numerous applications in computer science.This volume is a collection of forty-one state-of-the-art research articles spanning all of combinatorial design theory. The articles develop new methods for the construction and analysis of designs and related combinatorial configurations; both new theoretical methods, and new computational tools and results, are presented. In particular, they extend the current state of knowledge on Steiner systems, Latin squares, one-factorizations, block designs, graph designs, packings and coverings, and develop recursive and direct constructions.The contributions form an overview of the current diversity of themes in design theory for those peripherally interested, while researchers in the field will find it to be a major collection of research advances. The volume is dedicated to Alex Rosa, who has played a major role in fostering and developing combinatorial design theory.