Letting tau denote the inverse transpose automorphism of GL(n,q), a formula is obtained for the number of g in GL(n,q) so that gg^{tau} is equal to a given element h. This generalizes a result of Gow and Macdonald for the special case that h is the identity. We conclude that for g random, gg^{tau} behaves like a hybrid of symplectic and orthogonal groups. It is shown that our formula works well with both cycle index generating functions and asymptotics, and is related to the theory of random partitions. The derivation makes use of models of representation theory of GL(n,q) and of symmetric function theory, including a new identity for Hall-Littlewood polynomials. We obtain information about random elements of finite symplectic groups in even characteristic, and explicit bounds for the number of conjugacy classes and centralizer sizes in the extension of GL(n,q) generated by the inverse transpose automorphism. We give a second approach to these results using the theory of bilinear forms over a field. The results in this paper are key tools in forthcoming work of the authors on derangements in actions of almost simple groups, and we give a few examples in this direction.
Let G be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero or positive odd, good characteristic. Let B be a Borel subgroup of G. We show that the spherical conjugacy classes of G intersect only the double cosets of B in G corresponding to involutions in the Weyl group of G. This result is used to prove that for a spherical conjugacy class O with dense B-orbit v_0 contained in BwB there holds l(w)+rk(1-w)=dim(O) extending a characterization of spherical conjugacy classes obtained by N. Cantarini, M. Costantini and the author to the case of groups over fields of …
A {\it $k$-involution} is an involution with a fixed point set of codimension $k$. The conjugacy class of such an involution, denoted $S_k$, generates $\text{Möb}(n)$-the the group of isometries of hyperbolic $n$-space-if $k$ is odd, and its orientation preserving subgroup if $k$ is even. In this paper, we supply effective lower and upper bounds for the $S_k$ word length of $\text{Möb}(n)$ if $k$ is odd, and the $S_k$ word length of $\text{Möb}^+(n)$, if $k$ is even. As a consequence, for a fixed codimension $k$ the length of $\text{Möb}^{+}(n)$ with respect to $S_k$, $k$ even, grows linearly …
Let G be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of good odd characteristic, and let theta be an automorphism of G arising from an involution of its Dynkin diagram. We show that the spherical theta-twisted conjugacy classes are precisely those intersecting only Bruhat cells corresponding to twisted involutions in the Weyl group. We show how the analogue of this statement fails in the triality case. We generalize to good odd characteristic J-H. Lu's dimension formula for spherical twisted conjugacy classes.
There is a well-known classification of conjugacy classes of involutions in finite Coxeter groups, in terms of subsets of nodes of their Coxeter graphs. In many cases, the product of an involution with the longest element is again an involution. We identify the conjugacy class of this product involution in terms of said classification.
Motivated in part by representation theoretic questions, we prove that if G is a finite quasi-simple group, then there exists an elementary abelian subgroup of G that intersects every conjugacy class of involutions of G.
Let G be a connected, reductive algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero or good and odd. We characterize the spherical conjugacy classes of G as those intersecting only Bruhat cells corresponding to involutions in the Weyl group of G.
Let G be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field k of bad characteristic. We classify the spherical unipotent conjugacy classes of G. We also show that if the characteristic of k is 2, then the fixed point subgroup of every involutorial automorphism (involution) of G is a spherical subgroup of G.
In this article we study the involutions of $\mathrm{O}(V,\mathrm{q})$, an orthogonal group for a vector space $V$ with quadratic form $\mathrm{q}$ over a field of characteristic 2. The classification proceeds by discussing conjugacy classes of involutions arising as a product of transvections, involutions with respect to a hyperbolic space, and involutions acting nontrivially in the radical of $V$. We achieve a complete classification of the conjugacy classes of involutions when the quadratic space $(V,\mathrm{q})$ is non-defective, and conclude with a discussion of the defective case.
In this article we consider commuting graphs of involution conjugacy classes in the affine Weyl group of type $\tilde C_n$. We show that where the graph is connected the diameter is at most $n+2$.
The conjugacy classes of so-called special involutions parameterize the constituents of the action of a finite Coxeter group on the cohomology of the complement of its complexified hyperplane arrangement. In this note we give a short intrinsic characterisation of special involutions in terms of so-called bulky parabolic subgroups.
The twin group $T_n$ is a right angled Coxeter group generated by $n-1$ involutions and the pure twin group $PT_n$ is the kernel of the natural surjection from $T_n$ onto the symmetric group on $n$ symbols. In this paper, we investigate some structural aspects of these groups. We derive a formula for the number of conjugacy classes of involutions in $T_n$, which quite interestingly, is related to the well-known Fibonacci sequence. We also derive a recursive formula for the number of $z$-classes of involutions in $T_n$. We give a new proof of the structure of $\Aut(T_n)$ for $n \ge 3$, and show…
Let $G,D_{0},D_{1}$ be finite groups such that $D_{0}\trianglelefteq D_{1}$ are groups of automorphisms of $G$ that contain the inner automorphisms of $G$. Assume that $D_{1}/D_{0}$ has a normal $2$-complement and that $D_{1}$ acts fixed-point-freely on the set of $D_{0}$-conjugacy classes of involutions of $G$ (i.e., $C_{D_{1}}(a)D_{0}<D_{1}$ for every involution $a\in G$). We prove that $G$ is solvable. We also construct a nonsolvable finite group that possesses no characteristic conjugacy class of nontrivial cyclic subgroups. This shows that an assumption on the structure of $D_{1}/D_{0}$ a…
We classify conjugacy classes of involutions in the isometry groups of nondegenerate, symmetric bilinear forms over the field of two elements. The new component of this work focuses on the case of an orthogonal form on an even dimensional space. In this context we show that the involutions satisfy a remarkable duality, and we investigate several numerical invariants.
In this paper we investigate commuting involution graphs in classical affine Weyl groups. Let $W$ be a classical Weyl group of rank $n$, with $\tilde W$ its corresponding affine Weyl group. Our main result is that if $X$ is a conjugacy class of involutions in $\tilde W$, then the commuting involution graph $\mathcal{C}(\tilde W, X)$ is either disconnected or has diameter at most $n+2$. This bound is known to hold for types $\tilde A_n$ and $\tilde C_n$, so the main work of this paper is to prove the theorem for types $\tilde B_n$ and $\tilde D_n$.
Let $G$ be an algebraic group defined over a field $k$. We call $g\in G$ {\bf real} if $g$ is conjugate to $g^{-1}$ and $g\in G(k)$ as {\bf $k$-real} if $g$ is real in $G(k)$. An element $g\in G$ is {\bf strongly real} if $\exists h\in G$, $h^{2}=1$ (i.e. $h$ is an {\bf involution}) such that $hgh^{-1}=g^{-1}$. Clearly, strongly real elements are real and are product of two involutions. Let $G$ be a connected adjoint semisimple group over a perfect field $k$, with -1 in the Weyl group. We prove that any strongly regular $k$-real element in $G(k)$ is strongly $k$-real (i.e. is a product of two …
Let $G$ be an algebraic group over a field $k$. We call $g\in G(k)$ {\bf real} if $g$ is conjugate to $g^{-1}$ in $G(k)$. In this paper we study reality for groups of type $G_2$ over fields of characteristic different from 2. Let $G$ be such a group over $k$. We discuss reality for both semisimple and unipotent elements. We show that a semisimple element in $G(k)$ is real if and only if it is a product of two involutions in $G(k)$. Every unipotent element in $G(k)$ is a product of two involutions in $G(k)$. We discuss reality for $G_2$ over special fields and construct examples to show that re…
The excess of an element $w$ of a finite Coxeter group $W$ is the minimal value of $l(x) + l(y) - l(w)$, where $x$, $y$ are elements of $W$ such that $x^2 = y^2 = 1$ and $w = xy$. Every element of a finite Coxeter group is either an involution or the product of two involutions, so the concept of excess is well defined. It can be extended to strongly real classes of infinite Coxeter groups. Earlier work by the authors showed that every conjugacy class of a finite Coxeter group contains an element of minimal length and excess zero. The current paper shows that each conjugacy class also contains …
In the paper, we consider the full group $[ϕ]$ and topological full group $[[ϕ]]$ of a Cantor minimal system $(X,\f)$. We prove that the commutator subgroups $D([\f])$ and $D([[\f]])$ are simple and show that the groups $D([\f])$ and $D([[\f]])$ completely determine the class of orbit equivalence and flip conjugacy of $\f$, respectively. These results improve the classification found in \cite{gps:1999}. As a corollary of the technique used, we establish the fact that $\f$ can be written as a product of three involutions from $[\f]$.
Recently, Lusztig constructed for each reductive group a partition by unions of sheets of conjugacy classes, which is indexed by a subset of the set of conjugacy classes in the associated Weyl group. Sevostyanov subsequently used certain elements in each of these Weyl group conjugacy classes to construct strictly transverse slices to the conjugacy classes in these strata, generalising the classical Steinberg slice, and similar cross sections were built out of different Weyl group elements by He-Lusztig. In this paper we observe that He-Lusztig's and Sevostyanov's Weyl group elements share a ce…
We show that, for a connected reductive algebraic group G over an algebraically closed field of zero or good characteristic, the parts, called strata, in the partition of G recently introduced by Lusztig are unions of sheets of conjugacy classes. For G simple and adjoint we refine the parametrization of such sheets obtained in previous work with F. Esposito. We give a simple combinatorial description of strata containing spherical conjugacy classes, showing that Lusztig's correspondence induces a bijection between unions of spherical conjugacy classes and unions of classes of involutions in th…
Real forms of a complex reductive group are classified in terms of Galois cohomology $H^1(Γ,G_{ad})$ where $G_{ad}$ is the adjoint group. Alternatively, the theory of the Cartan involution gives a description in terms of cohomology with respect to a holomorphic involution: $H^1(\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z,G_{ad})$ where the non trivial element acts by a holomorphic involution $θ$. The main theorem is that in general, if $θ$ is the Cartan involution of a real form $σ$, there is a canonical isomorphism $H^1(Γ,G)\simeq H^1(\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z,G)$. This has applications to the structure and representati…
Brauer and Fowler noted restrictions on the structure of a finite group G in terms of the order of the centralizer of an involution t in G. We consider variants of these themes. We first note that for an arbitrary finite group G of even order, we have |G| is less than the number of conjugacy classes of the Fitting subgroup times the order of the centralizer to the fourth power of any involution in G. This result does require the classification of the finite simple groups. The groups SL(2,q) with q even shows that the exponent 4 cannot be replaced by any exponent less than 3. We do not know at …
We study McKay's observation on the Monster simple group, which relates the 2A-involutions of the Monster simple group to the extended E_8 diagram, using the theory of vertex operator algebras (VOAs). We first consider the sublattices L of the E_8 lattice obtained by removing one node from the extended E_8 diagram at each time. We then construct a certain coset (or commutant) subalgebra U associated with L in the lattice VOA V_{\sqrt{2}E_8}. There are two natural conformal vectors of central charge 1/2 in U such that their inner product is exactly the value predicted by Conway. The Griess alge…
Let $F_n$ be the free group of rank $n$ with free basis $X=\{x_1,\dots,x_n \}$. A palindrome is a word in $X^{\pm 1}$ that reads the same backwards as forwards. The palindromic automorphism group $ΠA_n$ of $F_n$ consists of those automorphisms that map each $x_i$ to a palindrome. In this paper, we investigate linear representations of $ΠA_n$, and prove that $ΠA_2$ is linear. We obtain conjugacy classes of involutions in $ΠA_2$, and investigate residual nilpotency of $ΠA_n$ and some of its subgroups. Let $IA_n$ be the group of those automorphisms of $F_n$ that act trivially on the abelianisatio…
This paper is a continuation of our paper math.QA/0403010 at which several coset subalgebras of the lattice VOA $V_{\sqrt{2}E_8}$ were constructed and the relationship between such algebras with the famous McKay observation on the extended E_8 diagram and the Monster simple group were discussed. In this article, we shall provide the technical details. We completely determine the structure of the coset subalgebras constructed and show that they are all generated by two conformal vectors of central charge 1/2. We also study the representation theory of these coset subalgebras and show that the p…
Let $G$ be a simple algebraic group over the algebraic closure of $GF(p)$ ($p$ prime), and let $G(q)$ denote a corresponding finite group of Lie type over $GF(q)$, where $q$ is a power of $p$. Let $X$ be an irreducible subvariety of $G^r$ for some $r\ge 2$. We prove a zero-one law for the probability that $G(q)$ is generated by a random $r$-tuple in $X(q) = X\cap G(q)^r$: the limit of this probability as $q$ increases (through values of $q$ for which $X$ is stable under the Frobenius morphism defining $G(q)$) is either 1 or 0. Indeed, to ensure that this limit is 1, one only needs $G(q)$ to be…
