Complete reducibility of subgroups of reductive algebraic groups over nonperfect fields II

Let k be a separably closed field. Let G be a reductive algebraic k-group. We study Serre’s notion of complete reducibility of subgroups of G over k. In particular, using the recently proved center conjecture of Tits, we show that the centralizer of a k-subgroup H of G is G-completely reducible over k if it is reductive and H is G-completely reducible over k. We show that a regular reductive k-subgroup of G is G-completely reducible over k. We present examples where the number of overgroups of irreducible subgroups and the number of G(k)-conjugacy classes of k-anisotropic unipotent elements are infinite.     

Complete reducibility,Külshammer’s question,conjugacy classes: A D4 example

Let k be a nonperfect separably closed field. Let G be a connected reductive algebraic group defined over k. We study rationality problems for Serre’s notion of complete reducibility of subgroups of G. In particular, we present a new example of subgroup H of G of type D₄ in characteristic 2 such that H is G-completely reducible but not G-completely reducible over k (or vice versa). This is new: all known such examples are for G of exceptional type. We also find a new counterexample for Külshammer’s question on representations of finite groups for G of type D₄. A problem concerning the number of conjugacy classes is also considered. The notion of nonseparable subgroups plays a crucial role in all our constructions.     

Complete reducibility of subgroups of reductive algebraic groups over nonperfect fields III

Let G be a reductive group over a nonperfect field k. We study rationality problems for Serre’s notion of complete reducibility of subgroups of G. In our previous work, we constructed examples of subgroups H of G that are G-completely reducible but not G-completely reducible over k (and vice versa). In this article, we give a theoretical underpinning of those constructions. Then using Geometric Invariant Theory, we obtain a new result on the structure of G(k)-(and G-) orbits in an arbitrary affine G-variety. We discuss several related problems to complement the main results.     

Reducible subgroups of exceptional algebraic groups

Let G be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field. A closed subgroup H of G is called G-completely reducible (G-cr) if, whenever H is contained in a parabolic subgroup P of G, it is contained in a Levi factor of P. In this paper we complete the classification of connected G-cr subgroups when G has exceptional type, by determining the $L_0$-irreducible connected reductive subgroups for each simple classical factor $L_0$ of a Levi subgroup of G. As an illustration, we determine all reducible, G-cr semisimple subgroups when G has type $F_4$ and various properties thereof. This work complements results of Lawther, Liebeck, Seitz and Testerman, and is vital in classifying non-G-cr reductive subgroups, a project being undertaken by the authors elsewhere.     

Amenability and weak amenability of the Fourier algebra

Let G be a locally compact group. We show that its Fourier algebra A(G) is amenable if and only if G has an abelian subgroup of finite index, and that its Fourier–Stieltjes algebra B(G) is amenable if and only if G has a compact, abelian subgroup of finite index. We then show that A(G) is weakly amenable if the component of the identity of G is abelian, and we prove some partial results towards the converse.Research supported by NSERC under grant no. 90749-00.Research supported by NSERC under grant no. 227043-00.     

Orbits and Invariants Associated with a Pair of Spherical Varieties: Some Examples

Let H and K be spherical subgroups of a reductive complex group G. In many cases, detailed knowledge of the double coset space H\G/K is of fundamental importance in group theory and representation theory. If H or K is parabolic, then H\G/K is finite, and we recall the classification of the double cosets in several important cases. If H=K is a symmetric subgroup of G, then the double coset space K\G/K (and the corresponding invariant theoretic quotient) are no longer finite, but several nice properties hold, including an analogue of the Chevalley restriction theorem. These properties were generalized by Helminck and Schwarz (Duke Math. J. 106(2) (2001), pp. 237–279) to the case where H and K are fixed point groups of commuting involutions. We recall Helminck and Schwarz's main results. We also give examples to show the difficulty in extending these results if we allow H=K to be a reductive spherical (nonsymmetric) subgroup or if we have H symmetric and K spherical reductive.     

Compact Clifford–Klein Forms of Homogeneous Spaces of SO(2, n)

A homogeneous space G/H is said to have a compact Clifford–Klein form if there exists a discrete subgroup of G that acts properly discontinuously on G/H, such that the quotient space \G/H is compact. When n is even, we find every closed, connected subgroup H of G = SO(2, n), such that G/H has a compact Clifford–Klein form, but our classification is not quite complete when n is odd. The work reveals new examples of homogeneous spaces of SO(2, n) that have compact Clifford–Klein forms, if n is even. Furthermore, we show that if H is a closed, connected subgroup of G = SL(3, R), and neither H nor G/H is compact, then G/H does not have a compact Clifford–Klein form, and we also study noncompact Clifford–Klein forms of finite volume.     

Completely Reducible Infinite-Dimensional Skew Linear Groups

 Let V be a left vector space over a division ring D and the group of all D-automorphisms of V. A subgroup G of is completely reducible of V is completely reducible as D–G bimodule. Our aim in this brief note is to point out that in a sense the very useful notion of a local marker extends from V finite-dimensional to V infinite-dimensional. (A local marker of a subgroup G of is any finitely generated subgroup X of G such that row n-space has least composition length as D–X bimodule. A local marker of G controls to a considerable extent the local behaviour of G.) Our main result is the following. Let G be a completely reducible subgroup of and let W be any finite-dimensional D-subspace of V. Then G has a finitely generated subgroup X such that for every finitely generated subgroup Y of G containing X the D–Y submodule WY has a D–Y submodule M with and completely reducible. We also give some examples and state without proof some stronger conclusions valid for various special subgroup G. (Received 21 December 1998; in revised form 31 May 1999)     

Completely Reducible Infinite-Dimensional Skew Linear Groups

 Let V be a left vector space over a division ring D and the group of all D-automorphisms of V. A subgroup G of is completely reducible of V is completely reducible as D–G bimodule. Our aim in this brief note is to point out that in a sense the very useful notion of a local marker extends from V finite-dimensional to V infinite-dimensional. (A local marker of a subgroup G of is any finitely generated subgroup X of G such that row n-space has least composition length as D–X bimodule. A local marker of G controls to a considerable extent the local behaviour of G.) Our main result is the following. Let G be a completely reducible subgroup of and let W be any finite-dimensional D-subspace of V. Then G has a finitely generated subgroup X such that for every finitely generated subgroup Y of G containing X the D–Y submodule WY has a D–Y submodule M with and completely reducible. We also give some examples and state without proof some stronger conclusions valid for various special subgroup G.     

Optimal Subgroups and Applications to Nilpotent Elements

Let G be a reductive group acting on an affine variety X, let x ∈ X be a point whose G-orbit is not closed, and let S be a G-stable closed subvariety of X which meets the closure of the G-orbit of x but does not contain x. In this paper we study G. R. Kempf’s optimal class Ω _G (x; S) of cocharacters of G attached to the point x; in particular, we consider how this optimality transfers to subgroups of G. Suppose K is a G-completely reducible subgroup of G which fixes x, and let H = C _G (K)⁰. Our main result says that the H-orbit of x is also not closed, and the optimal class Ω _H (x; S) for H simply consists of the cocharacters in Ω _G (x; S) which evaluate in H. We apply this result in the case that G acts on its Lie algebra via the adjoint representation to obtain some new information about cocharacters associated with nilpotent elements in good characteristic.     

On reduction of p-groups

We define the notion of irreducibility of a pgroup and show how any pgroup G can be reduced to an irreducible group H. We show that G is realizable as the Galois group of a regular extension of Q(T) if H is. Finally, we give some sufficient conditions on the

number of generators of a pgroup and the structure of its Frattini subgroup for it to be reducible to the trivial group.     

Invariant Ideals and Matsushima's Criterion

Let G be a reductive algebraic group over an algebraically closed field  of characteristic zero and H a closed subgroup of G. Explicit constructions of G-invariant ideals in the algebra [G/H] are given. This allows to obtain an elementary proof of Matsushima's criterion: the homogeneous space G/H is an affine variety if and only if H is reductive.     

Irreducible linear subgroups generated by pairs of matrices with large irreducible submodules

We call an element of a finite general linear group GL(d, q) fat if it leaves invariant and acts irreducibly on a subspace of dimension greater than d/2. Fatness of an element can be decided efficiently in practice by testing whether its characteristic polynomial has an irreducible factor of degree greater than d/2. We show that for groups G with SL(d, q) ≤ G ≤ GL(d, q) most pairs of fat elements from G generate irreducible subgroups, namely we prove that the proportion of pairs of fat elements generating a reducible subgroup, in the set of all pairs in G × G, is less than q ^−d+1. We also prove that the conditional probability to obtain a pair (g ₁, g ₂) in G × G which generates a reducible subgroup, given that g ₁, g ₂ are fat elements, is less than 2q ^−d+1. Further, we show that any reducible subgroup generated by a pair of fat elements acts irreducibly on a subspace of dimension greater than d/2, and in the induced action the generating pair corresponds to a pair of fat elements.     

Deformation of proper actions on reductive homogeneous spaces

Let G be a real reductive Lie group and H a closed reductive subgroup of G. We investigate the deformation of standard compact quotients of G/H, that is, of quotients of G/H by discrete groups Γ that are uniform lattices in some closed reductive subgroup L of G acting properly and cocompactly on G/H. For L of real rank 1, we prove that after a small deformation in G, such a group Γ keeps acting properly discontinuously and cocompactly on G/H. More generally, we prove that the properness of the action of any convex cocompact subgroup of L on G/H is preserved under small deformations, and we extend this result to reductive homogeneous spaces G/H over any local field. As an application, we obtain compact quotients of SO(2n, 2)/U(n, 1) by Zariski-dense discrete subgroups of SO(2n, 2) acting properly discontinuously.     

Average-case complexity and decision problems in group theory

We investigate the average-case complexity of decision problems for finitely generated groups, in particular, the word and membership problems. Using our recent results on “generic-case complexity”, we show that if a finitely generated group G has word problem solvable in subexponential time and has a subgroup of finite index which possesses a non-elementary word-hyperbolic quotient group, then the average-case complexity of the word problem of G is linear time, uniformly with respect to the collection of all length-invariant measures on G. This results applies to many of the groups usually studied in geometric group theory: for example, all braid groups B_n, all groups of hyperbolic knots, many Coxeter groups and all Artin groups of extra-large type.     

Groups with Polycyclic-by-Finite Conjugate Classes of Subgroups

Abstract

Neumann characterized the groups in which every subgroup has finitely many conjugates only as central-by-finite groups. If 𝔛 is a class of groups, a group G is said to have 𝔛-conjugate classes of subgroups if G/Core _G (N _G (H)) ∈ 𝔛 for every subgroup H of G. In this paper, we generalize Neumann's result by showing that a group has polycyclic-by-finite classes of conjugate subgroup if and only if it is central-by-(polycyclic-by-finite).     

On p-nilpotency of finite groups with some subgroups π-quasinormally embedded

Summary A subgroup H of a group G is said to be π-quasinormal in G if it permutes with every Sylow subgroup of G, and H is said to be π-quasinormally embedded in G if for each prime dividing the order of H, a Sylow p-subgroup of H is also a Sylow p-subgroup of some π-quasinormal subgroups of G. We characterize p-nilpotentcy of finite groups with the assumption that some maximal subgroups, 2-maximal subgroups, minimal subgroups and 2-minimal subgroups are π-quasinormally embedded, respectively.     

On holomorphic principal bundles over a compact Riemann surface admitting a flat connection

Let G be a connected reductive linear algebraic group over , and X a compact connected Riemann surface. Let be a Levi factor of some parabolic subgroup of G, with its maximal abelian quotient. We prove that a holomorphic G-bundle over X admits a flat connection if and only if for every such L and every reduction of the structure group of to L, the -bundle obtained by extending the structure group of is topologically trivial. For , this is a well-known result of A. Weil. Received: 1 December 2000 / Revised version: 2 April 2001 / Published online: 24 September 2001     

On Orbits of Automorphism Groups

If G is a finite group and if A is a group of automorphisms of G whose fixed point subgroup is C _G (A) then every subgroup F of C _G (A) acts on the set of orbits of A in G. The peculiarities of this action are used here to derive several results on the number of orbits of A in an economical manner.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 Deaconescu M. and Walls G. L.__________Translated from Sibirskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 533–537, May–June, 2005.     

Groups with Few Nonmodular Subgroups

Let G be a Tarski-free group such that the join of all nonmodular subgroups of G is a proper subgroup in G. It is proved that G contains a finite normal subgroup N such that the quotient group G/N has a modular subgroup lattice.__________Published in Ukrains’kyi Matematychnyi Zhurnal, Vol. 56, No. 10, pp. 1419 – 1423, October, 2004.