The braid group and linear rigidity (Q5933874)

\textit{N. M. Katz} [see Rigid local systems, Ann. Math. Stud. 139 (1996; Zbl 0864.14013)] investigated a certain class of local systems which he called ``physically rigid''. Katz showed that all irreducible physically rigid local systems can be obtained from one-dimensional systems via repeated application of certain operations, called ``scaling'' and ``middle convolution''. The article under review proposes to replace the ``middle convolution'' of Katz by a new operation which the author calls ``BC-operation''. The author emphasizes that this ``BC-operation'' is more amenable for computer calculations and commutes with the Hurwitz action of the braid group. The latter fact is useful in applications to Galois theory, as explained in the last section of the article.