Niemeier lattices, Mathieu groups, and finite groups of symplectic automorphisms of \(K3\) surfaces. With an appendix by Shigeru Mukai (Q1974803)

\textit{S. Mukai} [Invent. Math. 94, 183-221 (1988; Zbl 0705.14045)] proved that, if \(G\) is a finite group of symplectic automorphisms of a \(K3\) surface, then \(G\) is isomorphic to a subgroup of the Mathieu group \(M_{23}\) which has at least five orbits on a set of twenty-four elements. The author provides a simple proof of the above result.