Thompson’s conjecture for the alternating group of degree 2<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> and 2<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>+1

For a finite group G denote by N(G) the set of conjugacy class sizes of G. In 1980s, J.G.Thompson posed the following conjecture: If L is a finite nonabelian simple group, G is a finite group with trivial center and N(G) = N(L), then G ? L. We prove this conjecture for an infinite class of simple groups. Let p be an odd prime. We show that every finite group G with the property Z(G) = 1 and N(G) = N(A _i ) is necessarily isomorphic to A _i , where i ∈ {2p, 2p + 1}.     

A note on commuting automorphisms of some finite <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups

An automorphism α of a group G is called a commuting automorphism if each element x in G commutes with its image α(x) under α. Let A(G) denote the set of all commuting automorphisms of G. Rai [Proc. Japan Acad., Ser. A 91 (5), 57–60 (2015)] has given some sufficient conditions on a finite p-group G such that A(G) is a subgroup of Aut(G) and, as a consequence, has proved that, in a finite p-group G of co-class 2, where p is an odd prime, A(G) is a subgroup of Aut(G). We give here very elementary and short proofs of main results of Rai.     

Influence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis></Subscript>-supplemented subgroups on the structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-modular subgroups

A subgroup K of G is M _p -supplemented in G if there exists a subgroup B of G such that G = KB and TB < G for every maximal subgroup T of K with |K: T| = p ^α. We study the structure of the chief factor of G by using M _p -supplemented subgroups and generalize the results of Monakhov and Shnyparkov by involving the relevant results about the p-modular subgroup O ^p (G) of G.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis> <Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> </Subscript>-supplemented subgroups of finite groups

A subgroup K of G is M_p-supplemented in G if there exists a subgroup B of G such that G = KB and TB < G for every maximal subgroup T of K with |K: T| = p^α. In this paper we prove the following: Let p be a prime divisor of |G| and let H be ap-nilpotent subgroup having a Sylow p-subgroup of G. Suppose that H has a subgroup D with D_p ≠ 1 and |H: D| = p_α. Then G is p-nilpotent if and only if every subgroup T of H with |T| = |D| is M_p-supplemented in G and N_G(T_p)/C_G(T_p) is a p-group.     

2-Recognizability by prime graph of <Emphasis Type="Italic">PSL</Emphasis>(2, <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Superscript>2</Superscript>)

Let G be a finite group and let Γ(G) be the prime graph of G. Assume p prime. We determine the finite groups G such that Γ(G) = Γ(PSL(2, p ²)) and prove that if p ≠ 2, 3, 7 is a prime then k(Γ(PSL(2, p ²))) = 2. We infer that if G is a finite group satisfying |G| = |PSL(2, p ²)| and Γ(G) = Γ(PSL(2, p ²)) then G ? PSL(2, p ²). This enables us to give new proofs for some theorems; e.g., a conjecture of W. Shi and J. Bi. Some applications are also considered of this result to the problem of recognition of finite groups by element orders.     

The Number of <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-Sumsets in an Abelian Group

Let G be an abelian group of order n. The sum of subsets A₁,...,A_k of G is defined as the collection of all sums of k elements from A₁,...,A_k; i.e., A₁ + A₂ + · · · + A_k = {a₁ + · · · + a_k | a₁ ∈ A₁,..., a_k ∈ A_k}. A subset representable as the sum of k subsets of G is a k-sumset. We consider the problem of the number of k-sumsets in an abelian group G. It is obvious that each subset A in G is a k-sumset since A is representable as A = A₁ + · · · + A_k, where A₁ = A and A₂ = · · · = A_k = {0}. Thus, the number of k-sumsets is equal to the number of all subsets of G. But, if we introduce a constraint on the size of the summands A₁,...,A_k then the number of k-sumsets becomes substantially smaller. A lower and upper asymptotic bounds of the number of k-sumsets in abelian groups are obtained provided that there exists a summand A_i such that |A_i| = n log^qn and |A₁ +· · ·+ A_i-1 + A_i+1 + · · ·+A_k| = n log^qn, where q = -1/8 and i ∈ {1,..., k}.     

On <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis>-recognition by prime graph of <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis></Subscript>(3) where <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> is an odd prime

Let G be a finite group. The prime graph Γ(G) of G is defined as follows. The vertices of Γ(G) are the primes dividing the order of G and two distinct vertices p and p′ are joined by an edge if there is an element in G of order pp′. We denote by k(Γ(G)) the number of isomorphism classes of finite groups H satisfying Γ(G) = Γ(H). Given a natural number r, a finite group G is called r-recognizable by prime graph if k(Γ(G)) =  r. In Shen et al. (Sib. Math. J. 51(2):244–254, 2010), it is proved that if p is an odd prime, then B _p (3) is recognizable by element orders. In this paper as the main result, we show that if G is a finite group such that Γ(G) = Γ(B _p (3)), where p > 3 is an odd prime, then \({G\cong B_p(3)}\) or C _p (3). Also if Γ(G) = Γ(B ₃(3)), then \({G\cong B_3(3), C_3(3), D_4(3)}\), or \({G/O_2(G)\cong {\rm Aut}(^2B_2(8))}\). As a corollary, the main result of the above paper is obtained.     

Bogomolov multipliers for some <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups of nilpotency class 2

The Bogomolov multiplier B ₀(G) of a finite group G is defined as the subgroup of the Schur multiplier consisting of the cohomology classes vanishing after restriction to all abelian subgroups of G. The triviality of the Bogomolov multiplier is an obstruction to Noether’s problem. We show that if G is a central product of G ₁ and G ₂, regarding K _i ≤ Z(G _i ), i = 1, 2, and θ: G ₁ → G ₂ is a group homomorphism such that its restriction \(\theta {|_{{K_1}}}:{K_1} \to {K_2}\) is an isomorphism, then the triviality of B ₀(G ₁/K ₁),B ₀(G ₁) and B ₀(G ₂) implies the triviality of B ₀(G). We give a positive answer to Noether’s problem for all 2-generator p-groups of nilpotency class 2, and for one series of 4-generator p-groups of nilpotency class 2 (with the usual requirement for the roots of unity).     

Finite p-Groups with Few Non-major k-Maximal Subgroups

A subgroup of index p ^k of a finite p-group G is called a k-maximal subgroup of G. Denote by d(G) the number of elements in a minimal generator-system of G and by δ _k (G) the number of k-maximal subgroups which do not contain the Frattini subgroup of G. In this paper, the authors classify the finite p-groups with δ_d(G)(G) ≤ p² and δ_d(G)?1(G) = 0, respectively.     

The complete reducibility of some <Emphasis Type="Italic">GF</Emphasis>(2)<Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis><Subscript>7</Subscript>-modules

It is proved that, if G is a finite group with a nontrivial normal 2-subgroup Q such that G/Q ～= A ₇ and an element of order 5 from G acts freely on Q, then the extension G over Q is splittable, Q is an elementary abelian group, and Q is the direct product of minimal normal subgroups of G each of which is isomorphic, as a G/Q-module, to one of the two 4-dimensional irreducible GF(2)A ₇-modules that are conjugate with respect to an outer automorphism of the group A ₇.     

On finite alperin <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups with homocyclic commutator subgroup

We study metabelian Alperin groups, i.e., metabelian groups in which every 2-generated subgroup has a cyclic commutator subgroup. It is known that, if the minimum number d(G) of generators of a finite Alperin p-group G is n ≥ 3, then d(G′) ≤ C _n ² for p≠ 3 and d(G′) ≤ C _n ² + C _n ³ for p = 3. The first section of the paper deals with finite Alperin p-groups G with p≠ 3 and d(G) = n ≥ 3 that have a homocyclic commutator subgroup of rank C _n ² . In addition, a corollary is deduced for infinite Alperin p-groups. In the second section, we prove that, if G is a finite Alperin 3-group with homocyclic commutator subgroup G- of rank C _n ² + C _n ³ , then G″ is an elementary abelian group.     

Recognition by spectrum of simple groups <Emphasis Type="Italic">C</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis></Subscript>(2)

It is proved that, if G is a finite group that has the same set of element orders as the simple group C _p (2) for prime p > 3, then G/O ₂(G) is isomorphic to C _p (2).     

Quasirecognition by prime graph of the simple group <Superscript>2</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>)

Let G be a finite group. The main result of this paper is as follows: If G is a finite group, such that Γ(G) = Γ(²G₂(q)), where q = 3²ⁿ⁺¹ for some n ≥ 1, then G has a (unique) nonabelian composition factor isomorphic to ² G ₂(q). We infer that if G is a finite group satisfying |G| = |² G ₂(q)| and Γ(G) = Γ (² G ₂(q)) then G ? = ² G ₂(q). This enables us to give new proofs for some theorems; e.g., a conjecture of W. Shi and J. Bi. Some applications of this result are also considered to the problem of recognition by element orders of finite groups.     

Intersections of two nilpotent subgroups in finite groups with socle <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>)

Given a finite group G with socle isomorphic to L ₂(q), q ≥ 4, we describe, up to conjugacy, all pairs of nilpotent subgroups A and B of G such that A ∩ B ^g ≠ 1 for all g ∈ G.     

Neighbor sum distinguishing total chromatic number of <Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis><Subscript>4</Subscript>-minor free graph

A k-total coloring of a graph G is a mapping ?: V (G) ? E(G) → {1; 2,..., k} such that no two adjacent or incident elements in V (G) ? E(G) receive the same color. Let f(v) denote the sum of the color on the vertex v and the colors on all edges incident with v: We say that ? is a k-neighbor sum distinguishing total coloring of G if f(u) 6 ≠ f(v) for each edge uv ∈ E(G): Denote χ _Σ ^″ (G) the smallest value k in such a coloring of G: Pil?niak and Wo?niak conjectured that for any simple graph with maximum degree Δ(G), χ _Σ ^″ ≤ Δ(G)+3. In this paper, by using the famous Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, we prove that for K ₄-minor free graph G with Δ(G) > 5; χ _Σ ^″ = Δ(G) + 1 if G contains no two adjacent Δ-vertices, otherwise, χ _Σ ^″ (G) = Δ(G) + 2.     

On an open problem of Guo-Skiba

Let G be a finite group, and let A be a proper subgroup of G. Then any chief factor H/A _G of G is called a G-boundary factor of A. For any Gboundary factor H/A _G of A, the subgroup (A ∩ H)/A _G of G/ A _G is called a G-trace of A. In this paper, we prove that G is p-soluble if and only if every maximal chain of G of length 2 contains a proper subgroup M of G such that either some G-trace of M is subnormal or every G-boundary factor of M is a p′-group. This result give a positive answer to a recent open problem of Guo and Skiba. We also give some new characterizations of p-hypercyclically embedded subgroups.     

On recognizability of some finite simple orthogonal groups by spectrum

It is proved that, if G is a finite group that has the same set of element orders as the simple group D _p (q), where p is prime, p ≥ 5 and q ∈ {2, 3, 5}, then the commutator group of G/F(G) is isomorphic to D _p (q), the subgroup F(G) is equal to 1 for q = 5 and to O _q (G) for q ∈ {2, 3}, F(G) ≤ G′, and |G/G′| ≤ 2.     

Finite <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups whose non-normal subgroups have few orders

Suppose that G is a finite p-group. If G is not a Dedekind group, then G has a non-normal subgroup. We use p^M(G) and p^m(G) to denote the maximum and minimum of the orders of the non-normal subgroups of G; respectively. In this paper, we classify groups G such that M(G) < 2m(G)?1: As a by-product, we also classify p-groups whose orders of non-normal subgroups are p^k and p^k+1.     

Intersections of Primary Subgroups in Nonsoluble Finite Groups Isomorphic to <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript>(2<Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Superscript>)

Given a finite group G with socle isomorphic to L _n (2 ^m ), we describe (up to conjugacy) all ordered pairs of primary subgroups A and B in G such that A ∩ B ^g ≠ 1 for all g ∈ g.     

Some class 1 graphs on <Emphasis Type="Italic">g</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis></Subscript>-colorings

An edge-coloring of a graph G is an assignment of colors to all the edges of G. A g _c -coloring of a graph G is an edge-coloring of G such that each color appears at each vertex at least g(v) times. The maximum integer k such that G has a g _c -coloring with k colors is called the g _c -chromatic index of G and denoted by \(\chi\prime_{g_{c}}\)(G). In this paper, we extend a result on edge-covering coloring of Zhang and Liu in 2011, and give a new sufficient condition for a simple graph G to satisfy \(\chi\prime_{g_{c}}\)(G) = δ _g (G), where \(\delta_{g}\left(G\right) = min_{v\epsilon V (G)}\left\{\lfloor\frac{d\left(v\right)}{g\left(v\right)}\rfloor\right\}\).