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Let FSym$(\mathbb{N})$ denote the finitary symmetric group on the natural numbers. Are all Sylow p-subgroups of FSym$(\mathbb{N})$ isomorphic (maybe to the iterated wreath product $C_p\wr C_p\wr\dots$ of cyclic $p$-group $C_p$)?

It is well-known that the Sylow $p$-subgroups of $S_{p^k}$, for the positive integer $r$, are all isomorphic to $C_p\wr C_p\wr\dots\wr C_p$ (with $k$ copies of $C_p$) [see for example Proposition 19.10 of the book “A Course in Group Theory” by J.H. Humphreys].

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    $\begingroup$ Actually no. For instance, you have some with trivial center (those you have in mind) and others with nontrivial center (take the Sylow you have in mind and embed it in a $p$-Sylow of $\mathrm{FSym}(\mathbf{N}\cup\{-1,\dots,-p\})$). A full classification doesn't seem out of reach anyway. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 21:54
  • $\begingroup$ Maybe we should separate the Sylow p-subgroups of FSym$(\mathbb{N})$ as transitive and intransitive first. Transitive ones have trivial center (Lemma 8.3C(ii) Dixon-Mortimer’s book “Permutation Groups”. It seems that there is some work to do. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 6:50
  • $\begingroup$ They indeed have a decomposition into transitive components. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 6:53

1 Answer 1

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$\DeclareMathOperator\FSym{FSym}\DeclareMathOperator\Sym{Sym}\newcommand\N{\mathbf{N}}$The answer is no, as already mentioned in the comments: a transitive Sylow subgroup, or more generally any subgroup without finite orbit, has a trivial center (clear, since for a nontrivial element, its centralizer preserves its support), while any Sylow with a finite orbit of cardinal $\ge p$ has a nontrivial center (and they indeed exist in $\FSym(X)$ for any infinite $X$).

The main question seems to classify $p$-Sylow subgroups. Let us provide a full reduction to the transitive case.

Proposition 1. Let $P$ be a $p$-Sylow, $(X_i)$ its orbit decomposition, $P_i$ the image of $P$ in $\FSym(X_i)$. Then $P=\bigoplus_i P_i$, and all finite $X_i$ have a $p$-power cardinal.

Indeed, $P\subset\bigoplus_i P_i$ (as elements have finite support), and by maximality, $P=\bigoplus_i P_i$. The second assertion is clear from the finite case.$\Box$

For the converse:

Proposition 2. *Let $X$ be a set with a partition $(X_i)$ such that each finite $X_i$ has a $p$-power cardinal. Let $P_i$ be a transitive $p$-Sylow in $\FSym(X_i)$. Then $P=\bigoplus P_i$ is a $p$-Sylow in $\FSym(X_i)$ iff for each $n<\infty$, the number $n_i$ of $i$ such that $|X_i|=p^n$ is $<p$.

The condition is clearly necessary, using the finite case. Conversely, suppose it holds. Choose $f\notin \bigoplus P_i$ such that $\langle P,f\rangle$ is a $p$-subgroup. Let $J$ be the set of $i$ such that $f(X_i)\neq X_i$, and $X'=\bigcup_{i\in J}X_i$. Note that $J$ is not empty, and that $X'$ is $\langle P,f\rangle$-invariant.

a) Suppose that $X'$ is finite. The assumptions $n_i<p$ implies that $\prod_{i\in J}P_i$ is a $p$-Sylow in the finite group $\Sym(X')$, so we get a contradiction.

b) So $X'$ is infinite; since $J$ is finite (as the support of $f$ is finite), there is $i\in J$ with $X_i$ infinite. Let $W$ be the (finite) support of $f$ and $W_i=W\cap X_i$. By a classical lemma of B.H. Neumann, there exists $s\in P_i$ such that $s(W_i)\cap W_i=\emptyset$. Then for some $k\ge 1$, some cycle of $f$ visits a point in $X'-X_i$, then $k$ points in $X_i$, and then goes back to $X'-X_i$. By direct verification, the commutator $f'=[s,f]=sfs^{-1}f^{-1}$ contains a $(2k+1)$-cycle whose support meets $X_i$ in a subset of cardinal $2k$. Apply the same with $f'$: find $s'\in P_i$ so that $f''=[s',f']$ contains a $(4k+1)$-cycle. Since $f'$ and $f''$ are both in a $p$-Sylow, we deduce that both $2k+1$ and $4k+1$ are $p$-powers. Since $1<(4k+1)/(2k+1)<2\le p$, we deduce a contradiction. $\Box$

This entirely reduces to understanding transitive Sylow subgroups.

And indeed it's known that all transitive $p$-Sylow are conjugate when $X$ is infinite countable. This is due to Ivanyuta (Sylow p-subgroups of the countable symmetric group. (Russian) Ukrain. Mat. Ž 15 1963 240–249), see also here.

(To complete the picture, one should prove that for $X$ uncountable there's no transitive $p$-Sylow.) So a conjugacy class of $p$-Sylow is determined by some cardinal $n_\omega$ (the number of infinite orbits), and for each $i$, the number $0\le n_i<p$ of orbits of cardinal $p^i$.

Actually it is claimed in both papers that $p$-Sylow subgroups of $\FSym(X)$ are isomorphic iff they're conjugate: this is slightly false: they are isomorphic iff they have the same $n_i$ for each $0<i\le\omega$ (but $n_0$ can vary).

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the excellent answer which will be very helpful. I do not know if English version of Ivanyuta paper available? $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 23, 2021 at 15:37

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