The order of a group of even order

We will give an estimation of the order of a group of even order by the order of the centralizer of an involution using the classification of finite simple groups.

     

Fixed points of involutive automorphisms of the Bruhat order

Applying a classical theorem of Smith, we show that the poset property of being Gorenstein^* over Z₂ is inherited by the subposet of fixed points under an involutive poset automorphism. As an application, we prove that every interval in the Bruhat order on (twisted) involutions in an arbitrary Coxeter group has this property, and we find the rank function. This implies results conjectured by F. Incitti. We also show that the Bruhat order on the fixed points of an involutive automorphism induced by a Coxeter graph automorphism is isomorphic to the Bruhat order on the fixed subgroup viewed as a Coxeter group in its own right.     

Decreasing Subsequences in Permutations and Wilf Equivalence for Involutions

In a recent paper, Backelin, West and Xin describe a map φ^* that recursively replaces all occurrences of the pattern k... 21 in a permutation σ by occurrences of the pattern (k−1)... 21 k. The resulting permutation φ^*(σ) contains no decreasing subsequence of length k. We prove that, rather unexpectedly, the map φ^* commutes with taking the inverse of a permutation. In the BWX paper, the definition of φ^* is actually extended to full rook placements on a Ferrers board (the permutations correspond to square boards), and the construction of the map φ^* is the key step in proving the following result. Let T be a set of patterns starting with the prefix 12... k. Let T′ be the set of patterns obtained by replacing this prefix by k... 21 in every pattern of T. Then for all n, the number of permutations of the symmetric group _n that avoid T equals the number of permutations of _n that avoid T′. Our commutation result, generalized to Ferrers boards, implies that the number of involutions of _n that avoid T is equal to the number of involutions of _n avoiding T′, as recently conjectured by Jaggard. Both authors were partially supported by the European Commission's IHRP Programme, grant HPRN-CT-2001-00272, “Algebraic Combinatorics in Europe”     

The Projective Cover of the Trivial Module Over a Group Algebra of a Finite Group

We determine all finite groups G such that the Loewy length (socle length) of the projective cover P(k _G ) of the trivial kG-module k _G is four, where k is a field of characteristic p > 0 and kG is the group algebra of G over k, by using previous results and also the classification of finite simple groups. As a by-product we prove also that if p = 2 then all finite groups G such that the Loewy lengths of the principal block algebras of kG are four, are determined.     

Pattern avoidance and Boolean elements in the Bruhat order on involutions

We show that the principal order ideal of an element w in the Bruhat order on involutions in a symmetric group is a Boolean lattice if and only if w avoids the patterns 4321, 45312 and 456123. Similar criteria for signed permutations are also stated. Involutions with this property are enumerated with respect to natural statistics. In this context, a bijective correspondence with certain Motzkin paths is demonstrated. This article is largely based on results from the second author’s M.Sc. thesis [15].     

Deficiencies of smooth manifolds

Being given a closed manifold Mⁿ, there are involutions (X²ⁿ, T) on closed manifolds of twice the dimension having fixed point set M. Kulkarni defined the deficiency of M for a class of involutions to be $\text{min}\text{(}\text{1}\text{2}\text{{}\text{dim}\text{H}{}^1\text{(X;Z}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{)?}\text{dim}\text{H}{}^1\text{(M;Z}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{)})}$ for all involutions (X, T) in the class. This paper exhibits manifolds for which the deficiency is positive for all involutions and studies the deficiencies for other classes.     

Involutions and semiinvolutions

We define a linear map called a semiinvolution as a generalization of an involution, and show that any nilpotent linear endomorphism is a product of an involution and a semiinvolution. We also give a new proof for Djocović’s theorem on a product of two involutions.     

A Criterion for Non-Simplicity of Groups with Involutions

We settle Question 10.61, posed by A. Sozutov in the Kourovka Notebook, for the case where .