Algebraic Matric Groups and the Picard-Vessiot Theory of Homogeneous Linear Ordinary Differential Equations

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. Historical background. Summary. Notation and terminology. CHAPTER I. ALGEBRAIC MATRIC GROUPS. 1. Reducibility of sets of matrices. 2. Algebraic matric groups. 3. Jordan-Holder-Schreier theorem. 4. Commutator groups. 5. Solvable algebraic matric groups. 6. Anticompact and quasicompact algebraic matric groups. 7. Reducibility to triangular form. 8. Algebraic matric groups with certain types of normal chains. CHAPTER II. SOME P.ESULTS FROM THE THEORY OF ALGEBRAIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS. 9. Differential rings, fields, and ideals. 10. Differential polynomials. 11. Solutions. 12. Relative isomorphisms. 13. Order. 14. Dependence. 15. Homogeneous linear ordinary differential equations. CHAPTER III. NORMAL DIFFERENTIAL EXTENSION FIELDS. 16. Normal differential extension fields. CHAPTER IV. PICCARD-VESSIOT EXTENSIONS. 17. Picard-Vessiot extensions and their isomorphisms. 18. Normality. 19. Characterization of G. 20. Dimension. 21. Adjunction of new elements. 22. Linear reducibility of L(y). CHAPTER V. LIOUVILLIAN EXTENSIONS. 23. Integrals and exponentials of intgrals. 24. Liouvillian extensions. 25. The principal theorem and some consequences. 26. The proof, first half. 27. The proof, second half. REFERENCES INTRODUCTION