Let $N$ be a nilpotent group normal in a group $G$. Suppose that $G$ acts transitively upon the points of a finite non-Desarguesian projective plane $\mathcal{P}$. We prove that, if $\mathcal{P}$ has square order, then $N$ must act semi-regularly on $\mathcal{P}$.
In addition we prove that if a finite non-Desarguesian projective plane $\mathcal{P}$ admits more than one nilpotent group which is regular on the points of $\mathcal{P}$ then $\mathcal{P}$ has non-square order and the automorphism group of $\mathcal{P}$ has odd order.
We describe a simple criterion to construct Singer groups of Payne-derived generalized quadrangles, yielding, as a corollary, a classification of Singer groups of the classical Payne-derived quadrangles in any characteristic. This generalizes recent constructions of Singer groups of these quadrangles that were presented in a paper by Bamberg and Giudici. In the linear case, and several other cases, our classification is complete. Contrary to what seemed to be a common belief, we show that for the classical Payne-derived quadrangles, the number of different Singer groups is extremely large, and…
Inspired by a recent paper of Alain Connes and Catherina Consani which connects the geometric theory surrounding the elusive field with one element to sharply transitive group actions on finite and infinite projective spaces ("Singer actions"), we consider several fudamental problems and conjectures about Singer actions. Among other results, we show that virtually all infinite abelian groups and all (possibly infinitely generated) free groups act as Singer groups on certain projective planes, as a corollary of a general criterion. We investigate for which fields $\mathbb{F}$ the plane $\mathbf…
We consider $2$-blocks of finite groups with defect group $D=Q \times R$ and inertial quotient $\mathbb{E}$ where $Q \cong (C_{2^m})^n$, $R \cong C_{2^r}$, and $\mathbb{E}$ contains a Singer cycle of $\operatorname{Aut}(Q)$ (an element of order $2^n-1$). We classify such blocks up to Morita equivalence when either $\mathbb{E}$ is cyclic or $r=1$. We achieve a partial classification when $r>1$ and $E$ is non-cyclic.
We generalize a result of Tao which extends Freiman's theorem to the Heisenberg group. We extend it to simply connected nilpotent Lie groups of arbitrary step.
A finite group $G$ is called a Schur group if every $S$-ring over $G$ is schurian, i.e. associated in a natural way with a subgroup of $\sym(G)$ that contains all right translations. We prove that every nonabelian nilpotent Schur group belongs to one of the explicitly given families of groups.
We construct the type-preserving panel-regular lattices in buildings of type M, for M with entries two, three or infinity, which have cyclic stabilizers of spherical 2-residues. We obtain these lattices as fundamental groups of their associated quotient buildings, which are constructed by amalgamating quotients of generalized digons and triangles by actions of Singer cyclic groups. Each quotient construction has an associated gluing matrix which encodes how the quotient generalized polygons are amalgamated. We show that these gluing matrices also encode presentations of the panel-regular latti…
Given two positive integers n and c, we determine an upper bound, as a function of n and c, for the maximum order of a finite nilpotent transitive group of degree n and nilpotency class at most c.
We describe the structure of ``K-approximate subgroups'' of torsion-free nilpotent groups, paying particular attention to Lie groups. Three other works, by Fisher-Katz-Peng, Sanders and Tao, have appeared which independently address related issues. We comment briefly on some of the connections between these papers.
The power graph of a group is the simple graph whose vertices are the group elements and two vertices are adjacent whenever one of them is a positive power of the other. We characterize the finite nilpotent groups whose power graphs have equal vertex connectivity and minimum degree.
We consider a block $B$ of a finite group with defect group $D \cong (C_{2^m})^n$ and inertial quotient $\mathbb{E}$ containing a Singer cycle (an element of order $2^n-1$). This implies $\mathbb{E} = E \rtimes F$, where $E \cong C_{2^n-1}$, $F \leq C_n$, and $E$ acts transitively on the elements in $D$ of order $2$, and freely on $D \backslash \{1\}$. We classify the basic Morita equivalence classes of $B$ over a complete discrete valuation ring $\mathcal{O}$: when $m=1$, $B$ is basic Morita equivalent to the principal block of one of $SL_2(2^n) \rtimes F$, $D \rtimes \mathbb{E}$, or $J_1$ (w…
In this paper we consider the palindromic width of free nilpotent groups. In particular, we prove that the palindromic width of a finitely generated free nilpotent group is finite. We also prove that the palindromic width of a free abelian-by-nilpotent group is finite.
If $G$ and $H$ are finitely generated residually nilpotent groups, then $G$ and $H$ are in the same nilpotent genus if they have the same lower central quotients (up to isomorphism). A stronger condition is that $H$ is para-$G$ if there exists a monomorphism of $G$ into $H$ which induces isomorphisms between the corresponding quotients of their lower central series. We first consider residually nilpotent groups and find sufficient conditions on the monomorphism so that $H$ is para-$G.$ We then prove that for certain polycyclic groups, if $H$ is para-$G$, then $G$ and $H$ have the same Hirsch l…
In this article, we study geometric properties of nilpotent groups. We find a geometric criterion for the word problem for the finitely generated free nilpotent groups. By geometric criterion, we mean a way to determine whether two words represent the same element in a free nilpotent group of rank $r$ and class $k$ by analyzing their behavior on the Cayley graph of the free nilpotent group of rank $r$ and class $k-1$.
We show that every finitely generated nilpotent group of class 2 occurs as the quotient of a finitely presented abelian-by-nilpotent group by its largest nilpotent normal subgroup.
In the first part, we prove that the dominion (in the sense of Isbell) of a subgroup of a finitely generated nilpotent group is trivial in the category of all nilpotent groups. In the second part, we show that the dominion of a subgroup of a finitely generated nilpotent group of class two is trivial in the category of all metabelian nilpotent groups.
A maximal abelian normal subgroup A in a nilpotent group N is self-centralizing. This makes their role an important one in determining the structure of the nilpotent group. For example if A is finite then N is also finite. In the free nilpotent group of class 2 such a group is always a cyclic extension of the center. However this need not be true in an arbitrary finitely generated class two nilpotent group. We show that three generator nilpotent groups violating this condition can be easily found. However in the case when there are four or more generators certain conditions must hold.
For a torsion free finitely generated nilpotent group G we naturally associate four finite dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras over a field of characteristic zero. We show that if G is a relatively free group of some variery of nilpotent groups then all the above Lie algebras are isomorphic. As a result, any two quasi-isometric relatively free nilpotent groups are isomorphic. Moreover let L be a relatively free nilpotent Lie algebra over Q generated by X. We give L the structure of a group by means of the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula and we show that the subgroup H generated by X is relativ…
The first author, in 2001, presented a structure for the Baer-invariant of a nilpotent product of cyclic groups with respect to the variety of nilpotent groups. In this paper, using the above structure, we prove the existence of an ${\cal N}_c$-covering group for a nilpotent product of a family of cyclic groups. We also present a structure for the ${\cal N}_c$-covering group.
The authors have shown previously that every locally pro-p contraction group decomposes into the direct product of a p-adic analytic factor and a torsion factor. It has long been known that p-adic analytic contraction groups are nilpotent. We show here that the torsion factor is nilpotent too, and hence that every locally pro-p contraction group is nilpotent.
Building upon the author's previous work on primitivity testing of finite nilpotent linear groups over fields of characteristic zero, we describe precisely those finite nilpotent groups which arise as primitive linear groups over a given number field. Our description is based on arithmetic conditions involving invariants of the field.
We show that the pure cactus group $Γ_{n+1}$ is residually nilpotent and exhibit a surjective homomorphism $Γ_{n+1} \to (\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^{2^n-n(n+1)/2-1}$ whose kernel is residually torsion-free nilpotent.
We show that there exists an algorithm to decide any single equation in the Heisenberg group in finite time. The method works for all two-step nilpotent groups with rank-one commutator, which includes the higher Heisenberg groups. We also prove that the decision problem for systems of equations is unsolvable in all non-abelian free nilpotent groups.
Following J.S. Rose, a subgroup H of a group G is said contranormal in G if G = H^G . In a certain sense, contranormal subgroups are antipodes to subnormal subgroups. It is well known that a finite group is nilpotent if and only if it has no proper contranormal subgroups. We prove that a nilpotent-by-finite group with no proper contranormal subgroup is nilpotent. There are locally nilpotent groups with a proper contranormal subgroup. We study the structure of hypercentral groups with a finite proper contranormal subgroup.
We prove that a subgroup of a finitely generated free nilpotent group F is undistorted if and only if it is a retract of a subgroup of finite index in F.
Among other things, we prove that the group of automorphisms fixing every normal subgroup of a nilpotent-by-abelian group is nilpotent-by-metabelian. In particular, the group of automorphisms fixing every normal subgroup of a metabelian group is soluble of derived length at most 3. An example shows that this bound cannot be improved.
We show that uniform approximate lattices in nilpotent Lie groups are subsets of model sets. This extends a theorem due to Yves Meyer about quasicrystals in Euclidean spaces. To do so we study relatively dense subsets of simply connected nilpotent Lie groups and their logarithms. We then deduce a simple criterion for the existence of an approximate lattice in a given nilpotent Lie group.
A covering of a group is a finite set of proper subgroups whose union is the whole group. A covering is minimal if there is no covering of smaller cardinality, and it is nilpotent if all its members are nilpotent subgroups. We complete a proof that every group that has a nilpotent minimal covering is solvable, starting from the previously known result that a minimal counterexample is an almost simple finite group.
A combing is a set of normal forms for a finitely generated group. This article investigates the language-theoretic and geometric properties of combings for nilpotent and polycyclic groups. It is shown that a finitely generated class 2 nilpotent group with cyclic commutator subgroup is real-time combable, as are also all 2 or 3-generated class 2 nilpotent groups, and groups in certain families of nilpotent groups, e.g. the finitely generated Heisenberg groups, groups of unipotent matrices over the integers and the free class 2 nilpotent groups. Further it is shown that any polycyclic-by-finite…
Let G be a profinite group. The following results are proved. The commutator subgroup G' is finite if and only if G is covered by countably many abelian subgroups. The group G is finite-by-nilpotent if and only if G is covered by countably many nilpotent subgroups. The main result is that the commutator subgroup G' is finite-by-nilpotent if and only if the set of commutators in G is covered by countably many nilpotent subgroups.
In this paper, we determine the structure of the nilpotent multipliers of all pairs $(G,N)$ of finitely generated abelian groups where $N$ admits a complement in $G$. Moreover, some inequalities for the nilpotent multipliers of pairs of finite groups and their factor groups are given.
W.Haebich (Bull. Austral. Math. Soc., 7, 1972, 279-296) presented a formula for the Schur multiplier of a regular product of groups. In this paper first, it is shown that the Baer-invariant of a nilpotent product of groups with respect to the variety of nilpotent groups has a homomorphic image and in finite case a subgroup of Haebich's type. Second a formula will be presented for the Baer-invariant of a nilpotent product of cyclic groups with respect to the variety of nilpotent groups.
We survey aspects of locally nilpotent linear groups. Then we obtain a new classification; namely, we classify the irreducible maximal locally nilpotent subgroups of $\mathrm{GL}(q, \mathbb F)$ for prime $q$ and any field $\mathbb F$.
Let $FH$ be a supersolvable Frobenius group with kernel $F$ and complement $H$. Suppose that a finite group $G$ admits $FH$ as a group of automorphisms in such a manner that $C_G(F)=1$ and $C_{G}(H)$ is nilpotent of class $c$. We show that $G$ is nilpotent of $(c,\left|FH\right|)$-bounded class.
Dyer and Formanek (1976) proved that if N is a free nilpotent group of class two and of finite rank which is not equal to 1, or to 3, then the automorphism group Aut(N) of N is complete. The main result of the present paper states that the automorphism group of any infinitely generated free nilpotent group of class two is also complete.
We describe an algorithm for deciding whether or not a given finitely generated torsion-free nilpotent group is decomposable as the direct product of nontrivial subgroups.
We study random nilpotent groups in the well-established style of random groups, by choosing relators uniformly among freely reduced words of (nearly) equal length and letting the length tend to infinity. Whereas random groups are quotients of a free group by such a random set of relators, random nilpotent groups are formed as corresponding quotients of a free nilpotent group. This model reveals new phenomena because nilpotent groups are not "visible" in the standard model of random groups (due to the sharp phase transition from infinite hyperbolic to trivial groups).
Let $σ=\{σ_{i} | i\in I\}$ be a partition of the set $\Bbb{P}$ of all primes and $G$ a finite group. A chief factor $H/K$ of $G$ is said to be $σ$-central if the semidirect product $(H/K)\rtimes (G/C_{G}(H/K))$ is a $σ_{i}$-group for some $i=i(H/K)$. $G$ is called $σ$-nilpotent if every chief factor of $G$ is $σ$-central. We say that $G$ is semi-$σ$-nilpotent (respectively weakly semi-$σ$-nilpotent) if the normalizer $N_{G}(A)$ of every non-normal (respectively every non-subnormal) $σ$-nilpotent subgroup $A$ of $G$ is $σ$-nilpotent. In this paper we determine the structure of finite semi-$σ$-n…
Two groups are said to have the same nilpotent genus if they have the same nilpotent quotients. We answer four questions of Baumslag concerning nilpotent completions. (i) There exists a pair of finitely generated, residually torsion-free-nilpotent groups of the same nilpotent genus such that one is finitely presented and the other is not. (ii) There exists a pair of finitely presented, residually torsion-free-nilpotent groups of the same nilpotent genus such that one has a solvable conjugacy problem and the other does not. (iii) There exists a pair of finitely generated, residually torsion-fre…
We classify finite-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras with $2$-dimensional central commutator ideals admitting a Lie group of automorphisms isomorphic to $SO_2(\mathbb R)$. This enables one to enlarge the class of nilpotent Lie algebras of type {n,2}.
We give a new obstruction to translation-like actions on nilpotent groups. Suppose we are given two finitely generated torsion free nilpotent groups with the same degree of polynomial growth, but non-isomorphic Carnot completions (asymptotic cones). We show that there exists no injective Lipschitz function from one group to the other. It follows that neither group can act translation-like on the other.
In this paper we study distortion of various well-known embeddings of finitely generated torsion-free nilpotent groups $G$ into unitriangular groups $UT_n(\mathbb{Z})$. We also provide a polynomial time algorithm for finding distortion of a given subgroup of $G$
It is proved that for any prime $p$ a finitely generated nilpotent group is conjugacy separable in the class of finite $p$-groups if and only if the torsion subgroup of it is a finite $p$-group and the quotient group by the torsion subgroup is abelian.
In this paper we study the residual solvability of the generalized free product of finitely generated nilpotent groups. We show that these kinds of structures are often residually solvable.
A famous result of Hall asserts that the multiplication and exponentiation in finitely generated torsion free nilpotent groups can be described by rational polynomials. We describe an algorithm to determine such polynomials for all torsion free nilpotent groups of given Hirsch length. We apply this to determine the Hall polynomials for all such groups of Hirsch length at most 7.
Let $F$ be either a free nilpotent group of a given class and of finite rank or a free solvable group of a certain derived length and of finite rank. We show precisely which ones have the $R_{\infty}$ property. Finally, we also show that the free group of infinite rank does not have the $R_{\infty}$ property.
Let p be a prime number. We give the explicit structure of 2- nilpotent multiplier for each finite 2-generator p-group of class two. Moreover, 2-capable groups in that class are characterized.
We investigate the Reidemeister spectrum of direct products of nilpotent groups. More specifically, we prove that the Reidemeister spectra of the individual factors yield complete information for the Reidemeister spectrum of the direct product if all groups are finitely generated torsion-free nilpotent and have a directly indecomposable rational Malcev completion. We show this by determining the complete automorphism group of the direct product.
We consider here the free two step nilpotent Lie group, provided with the homogeneous Korányi norm; we prove the $L^p$-boundedness of the maximal function corresponding to the homogeneous unit sphere, for some $p$.
Here we show that a finite nilpotent group is 2-closed if and only if it is either cyclic or a direct product of a generalized quaternion group with a cyclic group of odd order.
We investigate the concept of dominion (in the sense of Isbell) in several varieties of nilpotent groups. We obtain a full description of dominions in the variety of nilpotent groups of class at most two. Then we look at the behavior of dominions of subgroups of groups in ${\cal N}_2$ when taken in the context of ${\cal N}_c$ with $c>2$. Finally we establish the existence of nontrivial dominions in the category of all nilpotent groups.
For any odd prime $p$, we give an example of a locally finite $p$-group $G$ containing a left 3-Engel element $x$ where $\langle x \rangle^G$ is not nilpotent.
Let $G$ be a group. We denote by $ν(G)$ an extension of the non-abelian tensor square $G \otimes G$ by $G \times G$. We prove that if $G$ is finite-by-nilpotent, then the non-abelian tensor square $G \otimes G$ is finite-by-nilpotent. Moreover, $ν(G)$ is nilpotent-by-finite (Theorem A). Also we characterize BFC-groups in terms of $ν(G)$ (Theorem B).
