Residual properties of free groups,II

In this paper we prove that if X is an infinite class of flnite simple classical groups, then F₂, the free group of rank 2, is residually X. This solves a special case of a question of W.Magnus. He conjectures that F₂ is residually X for any infinite class X of finite non-abelian simple groups.     

On genus and embeddings of torsion-free nilpotent groups of class two

Summary We study embeddings between torsion-free nilpotent groups having isomorphic localizations. Firstly, we show that for finitely generated torsion-free nilpotent groups of nilpotency class 2, the property of having isomorphicP-localizations (whereP denotes any set of primes) is equivalent to the existence of mutual embeddings of finite index not divisible by any prime inP. We then focus on a certain family Γ of nilpotent groups whose Mislin genera can be identified with quotient sets of ideal class groups in quadratic fields. We show that the multiplication of equivalence classes of groups in Γ induced by the ideal class group structure can be described by means of certain pull-back diagrams reflecting the existence of enough embeddings between members of each Mislin genus. In this sense, the family Γ resembles the family N₀ of infinite, finitely generated nilpotent groups with finite commutator subgroup. We also show that, in further analogy with N₀, two groups in Γ with isomorphic localizations at every prime have isomorphic localizations at every finite set of primes. We supply counterexamples showing that this is not true in general, neither for finitely generated torsion-free nilpotent groups of class 2 nor for torsion-free abelian groups of finite rank. Supported by DGICYT grant PB94-0725 This article was processed by the author using the LAT_EX style filecljour1 from Springer-Verlag.     

A generalization of 2-Baer groups

A group in which all cyclic subgroups are 2-subnormal is called a 2-Baer group. The topic of this paper are generalized 2-Baer groups, i.e., groups in which the non-2-subnormal cyclic subgroups generate a proper subgroup of the group. If this subgroup is non-trivial, the group is called a generalized T₂-group. In particular, we provide structure results for such groups, investigate their nilpotency class, and construct examples of finite p-groups which are generalized T₂-groups.     

Finite covers of random 3-manifolds

A 3-manifold is Haken if it contains a topologically essential surface. The Virtual Haken Conjecture posits that every irreducible 3-manifold with infinite fundamental group has a finite cover which is Haken. In this paper, we study random 3-manifolds and their finite covers in an attempt to shed light on this difficult question. In particular, we consider random Heegaard splittings by gluing two handlebodies by the result of a random walk in the mapping class group of a surface. For this model of random 3-manifold, we are able to compute the probabilities that the resulting manifolds have finite covers of particular kinds. Our results contrast with the analogous probabilities for groups coming from random balanced presentations, giving quantitative theorems to the effect that 3-manifold groups have many more finite quotients than random groups. The next natural question is whether these covers have positive betti number. For abelian covers of a fixed type over 3-manifolds of Heegaard genus 2, we show that the probability of positive betti number is 0.In fact, many of these questions boil down to questions about the mapping class group. We are led to consider the action of the mapping class group of a surface Σ on the set of quotients π₁(Σ)→Q. If Q is a simple group, we show that if the genus of Σ is large, then this action is very mixing. In particular, the action factors through the alternating group of each orbit. This is analogous to Goldman’s theorem that the action of the mapping class group on the SU(2) character variety is ergodic. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) 57M50, 57N10     

SUBDIRECTLY IRREDUCIBLE LEFT SELF DISTRIBUTIVELY GENERATED ALGEBRAS

Abstract

Let F be a free profinite group of countably infinite rank and 𝒞(Δ) the class of all finite groups whose composition factors are in Δ for a non-empty class Δ of finite simple groups. Let R _Δ(F) be the intersection of all open normal subgroups N of F such that F/N is in 𝒞(Δ). Then we prove that, if 𝒩 is the class of finite groups which have no non-trivial 𝒞(Δ)-quotient, then R _Δ(F) is a pro-𝒩 group of countable rank and every finite 𝒩-embedding problem for R _Δ(F) is solvable.     

On automorphisms of some finite <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups

We give a sufficient condition on a finite p-group G of nilpotency class 2 so that Aut _c (G) = Inn(G), where Aut _c (G) and Inn(G) denote the group of all class preserving automorphisms and inner automorphisms of G respectively. Next we prove that if G and H are two isoclinic finite groups (in the sense of P. Hall), then Aut _c (G) ≃ Aut _c (H). Finally we study class preserving automorphisms of groups of order p ⁵, p an odd prime and prove that Aut _c (G) = Inn(G) for all the groups G of order p ⁵ except two isoclinism families.     

Automorphisms of Hyperbolic Groups and Graphs of Groups

Using the canonical JSJ splitting, we describe the outer automorphism group Out(G) of a one-ended word hyperbolic group G. In particular, we discuss to what extent Out(G) is virtually a direct product of mapping class groups and a free abelian group, and we determine for which groups Out(G) is infinite. We also show that there are only finitely many conjugacy classes of torsion elements in Out(G), for G any torsion-free hyperbolic group. More generally, let Γ be a finite graph of groups decomposition of an arbitrary group G such that edge groups G_e are rigid (i.e. Out(G_e) is finite). We describe the group of automorphisms of G preserving Γ, by comparing it to direct products of suitably defined mapping class groups of vertex groups.     

Finite groups whose conjugacy class graphs have few vertices

In this note we classify the finite groups satisfying the following property P₅: their conjugacy class lengths are set-wise relatively prime for any 5 distinct classes.Received: 6 October 2004; revised: 16 November 2004     

Exchange Relation Planar Algebras

An inclusion of II ₁ factors NM of finite index has as an invariant, a double sequence of finite-dimensional algebras known as the standard invariant. Planar algebras were introduced by V. Jones as a geometric tool for computing standard invariants of existing subfactors as well as generating standard invariants for new subfactors. In this paper we define a class of planar algebras, termed exchange relation planar algebras, that provides a general framework for understanding several classes of known subfactor inclusions: the Fuss–Catalan algebras (i.e. those coming from the presence of intermediate subfactors) and all depth 2 subfactors. In addition, we present a new class of planar algebras (and thus a new class of subfactors) coming from automorphism subgroups of finite groups.     

On the inductive McKay condition in the defining characteristic

This note is concerned with the McKay conjecture in the representation theory of finite groups. Recently, Isaacs–Malle–Navarro have shown that, in order to prove this conjecture in general, it is sufficient to establish certain properties of all finite simple groups. In this note, we develop some new methods for dealing with these properties for finite simple groups of Lie type in the defining characteristic case. We apply these methods to show that the Suzuki and Ree groups, G ₂(q), F ₄(q) and E ₈(q) have the required properties.     

The Stable Class of the Augmentation Ideal

In [F.E.A. Johnson, Stable Modules and the D(2)-Problem, LMS Lecture Notes In Mathematics, vol. 301, CUP (2003)], for finite groups G, we gave a parametrization of the stable class of the augmentation ideal of Z[G] in terms of stably free modules. Whilst the details of this parametrization break down immediately for infinite groups, nevertheless one may hope to find parallel arguments for restricted classes of infinite groups. Subject to the restriction that Ext¹(Z, Z[G]) = 0, we parametrize the minimal level in Ω₁(Z) by means of stably free modules and give a lower estimate for the size of Ω₁(Z).     

On finite groups isospectral to simple linear and unitary groups

Let L be a simple linear or unitary group of dimension larger than 3 over a finite field of characteristic p. We deal with the class of finite groups isospectral to L. It is known that a group of this class has a unique nonabelian composition factor. We prove that if L ≠ U ₄(2), U ₅(2) then this factor is isomorphic to either L or a group of Lie type over a field of characteristic different from p.     

A Note on Class Field Theory for Two-Dimensional Local Rings

The class field theory for the fraction field of a two-dimensional complete normal local ring with finite residue field is established by S. Saito. In this paper, we investigate the index of the norm group in the K ₂-idele class group for a finite Abelian extension of such fields and deduce that the existence theorem does not hold for almost fields in this case.     

Finiteness of Higher K -Groups of Orders and Group Rings

In this paper, we prove that if R is the ring of integers in a number field F, A any R-order in a semisimple F-algebra, then K_2n(A), G_2n(A) are finite groups for all positive integers n. Hence, even dimensional higher K- and G-groups of integral grouprings of finite groups are finite. We also show that in odd dimensions, SK_n of integral and p-adic integral grouprings of finite p-groups are also finite p-groups (Received: August 2005)     

Groups with Anticentral Elements

We study finite groups G with elements g such that |C _G (g)| = |G:G′|. (Such elements generalize fixed-point-free automorphisms of finite groups.) We show that these groups have a unique conjugacy class of nilpotent supplements for the commutator subgroup and, using the classification of finite simple groups, that these groups are solvable.     

Commuting graphs of groups and related numerical parameters

Given a finite group G, we denote by Δ(G) the commuting graph of G which is defined as follows: the vertex set is G and two distinct vertices x and y are joined by an edge if and only if xy = yx. Clearly, Δ(G) is always connected for any group G. We denote by κ(G) the number of spanning trees of Δ(G). In the present paper, among other results, we first obtain the value κ(G) for some specific groups G, such as Frobenius groups, Dihedral groups, AC-groups, etc. Next, we characterize the alternating group A₅, in the class of nonsolvable groups through its tree-number κ(A₅). Finally, we classify the finite groups for which the power graph and the commuting graph coincide.     

Unique maximal rings of functions

For several classes of groups G, we characterize when the near-ring M₀(G) of 0-preserving selfmaps on G contains a unique maximal ring. Definitive results are obtained for finite Abelian, finite nilpotent, and finite permutation groups. As an application, we determine those finite groups G such that all rings in M₀(G) are commutative.     

On Whittaker modules over a class of algebras similar to U(sl 2)

Motivated by the study of invariant rings of finite groups on the first Weyl algebras A ₁ and finding interesting families of new noetherian rings, a class of algebras similar to U(sl ₂) was introduced and studied by Smith. Since the introduction of these algebras, research efforts have been focused on understanding their weight modules, and many important results were already obtained. But it seems that not much has been done on the part of nonweight modules. In this paper, we generalize Kostant’s results on the Whittaker model for the universal enveloping algebras U(g) of finite dimensional semisimple Lie algebras g to Smith’s algebras. As a result, a complete classification of irreducible Whittaker modules (which are definitely infinite dimensional) for Smith’s algebras is obtained, and the submodule structure of any Whittaker module is also explicitly described.      

On finite groups acting on ℤ<Subscript>2</Subscript>-homology 3-spheres

We consider finite groups G admitting orientation-preserving actions on homology 3-spheres (arbitrary, i.e. not necessarily free actions), concentrating on the case of nonsolvable groups. It is known that every finite group G admits actions on rational homology 3-spheres (and even free actions). On the other hand, the class of groups admitting actions on integer homology 3-spheres is very restricted (and close to the class of finite subgroups of the orthogonal group SO(4), acting on the 3-sphere). In the present paper, we consider the intermediate case of ₂-homology 3-spheres (i.e., with the ₂-homology of the 3-sphere where ₂ denote the integers mod two; we note that these occur much more frequently in 3-dimensional topology than the integer ones). Our main result is a list of finite nonsolvable groups G which are the candidates for orientation-preserving actions on ₂-homology 3-spheres. From this we deduce a corresponding list for the case of integer homology 3-spheres. In the integer case, the groups of the list are closely related to the dodecahedral group or the binary dodecahedral group most of these groups are subgroups of the orthogonal group SO(4) and hence admit actions on S³. Roughly, in the case of ₂-homology 3-spheres the groups PSL(2,5) and SL(2,5) get replaced by the groups PSL(2,q) and SL(2,q), for an arbitrary odd prime power q. We have many examples of actions of the groups PSL(2,q) and SL(2,q) on ₂-homology 3-spheres, for various small values of q (constructed as regular coverings of suitable hyperbolic 3-orbifolds and 3-manifolds, using computer-supported methods to calculate the homology of the coverings). We think that all of them occur but have no method to prove this at present (in particular, the exact classification of the finite nonsolvable groups admitting actions on ₂-homology 3-spheres remains still open).     

Invariance of the Nayatani metrics for Kleinian manifolds

The Nayatani metric g _N is a Riemannian metric on a Kleinian manifold M which is compatible with the standard flat conformal structure. It is known that, for M corresponding to a geometrically finite Kleinian group, g _N has large symmetry: the isometry group of (M, g _N ) coincides with the conformal transformation group of M. In this paper, we prove that this holds for a larger class of M. In particular, this class contains such M that correspond to Kleinian groups of divergence type.