No label defined (Q4463883)

Let \(X\) be, respectively, a Riemann surface, an unbordered non-orientable Klein surface or a bordered Klein surface. It is known that \(X\) admits in each case at most \(84(g-1)\), \(84(g-2)\) or \(12(p-1)\) automorphisms, where \(g\) denotes the topological genus and \(p\) the algebraic genus. Automorphism groups with these maximal numbers of automorphisms are called Hurwitz groups, \(H^*\)-groups and \(M^*\)-groups, respectively. In this survey the authors give a summary of results on \(M^*\)-groups. They present general properties of these groups and they describe some important known families. Then they study the structure of \(M^*\)-groups to obtain several methods for constructing new families of \(M^*\)-groups. They also examine the relationship between Hurwitz groups, \(H^*\)-groups and \(M^*\)-groups. Besides the important role played by \(M^*\)-groups in the study of bordered Klein surfaces, the authors show two other important viewpoints: algebraic curves and regular maps. Since there is a functorial equivalence between compact Klein surfaces and real algebraic curves, then \(M^*\)-groups correspond to the groups of real birational transformations of real algebraic curves with maximal symmetry. \(M^*\)-groups also arise as automorphism groups of regular maps of type \(\{3,q\}\), triangular maps with \(q\) triangles meeting in each vertex. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1032.20001].