Factors in infinite groups
Group Theory
2026-02-27 v1 Combinatorics
Abstract
Let be a group and a non-empty subset. A right -factor associated with is a maximal subset such that the product is direct. The lower and upper -indices and are defined as the minimum and the supremum of the cardinalities of such maximal sets . The subset is called stable if , and is called stable if every subset of is stable. Using a graph-theoretic reformulation in terms of Cayley graphs, we prove that every infinite group is unstable. Equivalently, for every infinite group there exists a subset for which maximal subsets with direct product do not all have the same cardinality. This gives a negative answer to Question 21.58 of the Kourovka Notebook.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2602.22876,
title = {Factors in infinite groups},
author = {Mikhail Kabenyuk},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.22876},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
7 pages