English

Characteristic classes of involutions in nonsolvable groups

Group Theory 2019-09-20 v4

Abstract

Let G,D0,D1G,D_{0},D_{1} be finite groups such that D0D1D_{0}\trianglelefteq D_{1} are groups of automorphisms of GG that contain the inner automorphisms of GG. Assume that D1/D0D_{1}/D_{0} has a normal 22-complement and that D1D_{1} acts fixed-point-freely on the set of D0D_{0}-conjugacy classes of involutions of GG (i.e., CD1(a)D0<D1C_{D_{1}}(a)D_{0}<D_{1} for every involution aGa\in G). We prove that GG is solvable. We also construct a nonsolvable finite group that possesses no characteristic conjugacy class of nontrivial cyclic subgroups. This shows that an assumption on the structure of D1/D0D_{1}/D_{0} above must be made in order to guarantee the solvability of GG and also yields a negative answer to Problem 3.51 in the Kourovka Notebook, posed by A. I. Saksonov in 1969.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1902.10233,
  title  = {Characteristic classes of involutions in nonsolvable groups},
  author = {Yotam Fine},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.10233},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

8 pages. Proofs and introduction are more detailed and typographical errors are corrected