The random graph

Erd\H{o}s and R\'{e}nyi showed the paradoxical result that there is a unique (and highly symmetric) countably infinite random graph. This graph, and its automorphism group, form the subject of the present survey.Comment: Revised chapter for new edition of book "The Mathematics of Paul Erd\H{o}s

Groups with right-invariant multiorders

A Cayley object for a group G is a structure on which G acts regularly as a group of automorphisms. The main theorem asserts that a necessary and sufficient condition for the free abelian group G of rank m to have the generic n-tuple of linear orders as a Cayley object is that m>n. The background to this theorem is discussed. The proof uses Kronecker's Theorem on diophantine approximation.Comment: 9 page

Optical activity in the scattering of structured light

We observe that optical activity in light scattering can be probed using types of illuminating light other than single plane (or quasi plane) waves and that this introduces new possibilities for the study of molecules and atoms. We demonstrate this explicitly for natural Rayleigh optical activity which, we suggest, could be exploited as a new form of spectroscopy for chiral molecules through the use of illuminating light comprised of two plane waves that are counter propagating

Two Generalizations of Homogeneity in Groups with Applications to Regular Semigroups

Let $X$ be a finite set such that $|X|=n$ and let $i\leq j \leq n$. A group G\leq \sym is said to be $(i,j)$-homogeneous if for every $I,J\subseteq X$, such that $|I|=i$ and $|J|=j$, there exists $g\in G$ such that $Ig\subseteq J$. (Clearly $(i,i)$-homogeneity is $i$-homogeneity in the usual sense.) A group G\leq \sym is said to have the $k$-universal transversal property if given any set $I\subseteq X$ (with $|I|=k$) and any partition $P$ of $X$ into $k$ blocks, there exists $g\in G$ such that $Ig$ is a section for $P$. (That is, the orbit of each $k$-subset of $X$ contains a section for each $k$-partition of $X$.) In this paper we classify the groups with the $k$-universal transversal property (with the exception of two classes of 2-homogeneous groups) and the $(k-1,k)$-homogeneous groups (for $2<k\leq \lfloor \frac{n+1}{2}\rfloor$). As a corollary of the classification we prove that a $(k-1,k)$-homogeneous group is also $(k-2,k-1)$-homogeneous, with two exceptions; and similarly, but with no exceptions, groups having the $k$-universal transversal property have the $(k-1)$-universal transversal property. A corollary of all the previous results is a classification of the groups that together with any rank $k$ transformation on $X$ generate a regular semigroup (for $1\leq k\leq \lfloor \frac{n+1}{2}\rfloor$). The paper ends with a number of challenges for experts in number theory, group and/or semigroup theory, linear algebra and matrix theory.Comment: Includes changes suggested by the referee of the Transactions of the AMS. We gratefully thank the referee for an outstanding report that was very helpful. We also thank Peter M. Neumann for the enlightening conversations at the early stages of this investigatio