Search and Enumeration Techniques for Incidence Structures

Abstract

This thesis investigates a number of probabilistic and exhaustive computational search techniques for the construction of a wide variety of combinatorial designs, and in particular, incidence structures. The emphasis is primarily from a computer science perspective, and focuses on the algorithmic development of the techniques, taking into account running time considerations and storage requirements. The search and enumeration techniques developed in this thesis have led to the discovery of a number of new results in the field of combinatorial design theory.