Questions tagged [gr.group-theory]
Questions about the branch of algebra that deals with groups.
8,182 questions
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Groups with all normal subgroups characteristic
Today in my research, I had to use fairly explicitly the rather tautological property of finite cyclic groups that every normal subgroup is characteristic, i.e. fixed by all automorphisms. This got me ...
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Which commutative groups are the group of units of some field?
Inspired by a recent question on the multiplicative group of fields. Necessary conditions include that there are at most $n$ solutions to $x^n = 1$ in such a group and that any finite subgroup is ...
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Conjectures in the representation theory of the symmetric group
Question: What are current open conjectures about the representation theory of the symmetric group?
I am interested mostly in the characteristic 0 case, but conjectures for the modular case can also ...
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Maximal number of maximal subgroups
Let $G$ be a finite group. I want to find an upper bound on the number of the maximal subgroups. My questions is does it possible to prove that the number of maximal subgroups of any finite group $G$ ...
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First group homology with general coefficients
When $G$ acts trivially on $M$, the first homology group is just the abelianisation of $G$ tensored with $M$, i.e. $H_1(G;M)=(G/[G,G])\otimes_\mathbb Z M$.
Is there any similar statement when $G$ ...
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Abstract nonsense versions of "combinatorial" group theory questions
In particular, I'm just curious whether there's a version of the Sylow theorems (which are very combinatorially-flavored) which allows horizontal and/or vertical categorification? Or at least can be ...
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Does the injection $\text{Aut}(F_n) \hookrightarrow \text{Aut}(F_{n+1})$ split?
Let $F_n$ be the free group on $n$ letters.
The question is as in the title: letting $i:\text{Aut}(F_n) \hookrightarrow \text{Aut}(F_{n+1})$ be the natural injection, does there exist a homomorphism $...
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Algorithm to test for discrete or quasi-Fuchsian subgroups of PSL(2,C)
Let $\Gamma = \pi_1(S)$ denote the fundamental group of a compact surface $S$ of genus $g>1$.
Given a representation $\rho : \Gamma \to \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{C})$, specified by matrix ...
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Minimal maximal subgroup of the symmetric group
The question is pretty much in the title: What is the maximal subgroup of $S_d$ of maximal index (so minimal size)? A slight variant (I am not sure if it leads to a different answer) is: what if we ...
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Does the image of the exponential map generate the group?
Let $G$ be a connected Fréchet-Lie group and let $\mathfrak g$ be its Lie algebra. Does the image $\exp(\mathfrak g) \subset G$ of the exponential map generate $G$?
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Is there a relationship between Broué's abelian defect group conjecture and Alperin's weight conjecture?
Let $G$ be a finite group, let $k$ be a large enough field of characteristic $p>0$. Let $p\mid |G|$.
Broué's abelian defect group conjecture states the following:
Let $B$ be a block of $kG$ with
...
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ULU Decomposition of a matrix
Let $g \in GL_n(\mathbb{F}_q)$. Is it true that we can always write $g = u_1lu_2$, where $u_1$ and $u_2$ are upper-triangular and $l$ is lower-triangular? Note that I'm not requiring that the matrices ...
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How can I tell if a group is linear?
The basic question is in the title, but I am interested in both necessary and sufficient conditions.
I know the Tits' alternative and Malcev's result that finitely generated linear groups are ...
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Tensor power of the natural representation of Sn
The symmetric group $S_n$ acts over $V=\mathbb{R}^n$ by permuting the canonical basis.
So it acts over $V^{\otimes p}$ with a diagonal action (acts the same over each element of the tensor product).
...
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Historical question concerning Jordan's theorem
I'm interested in Jordan's theorem which (after applying the unitary trick) states that any finite subgroup of $U_n(\mathbb{C})$ has an abelian subgroup of index $F(n)$, a function depending only on $...
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Counting characteristic subgroups
I cannot seem to find any results at all on characteristic subgroup growth, even of free groups (and even of $F_2$). By contrast, the growth function of all subgroups of finite index is well-...
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What is the length of the shortest law of $S_n$?
What is the length of the shortest word $w\in F_2$ such that $w(x,y)$ is trivial for every $x,y\in S_n$?
There is a simple argument showing that we must have $\ell(w)\geq n$. See here for instance. ...
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$\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb{Z}_2)=\mathrm{Out}(F_n)/\langle\langle \epsilon_1,\dots,\epsilon_n\rangle\rangle$
In a paper I found the following result:
$$\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb{Z}_2)=\mathrm{Out}(F_n)/\langle\langle \epsilon_1,\dots,\epsilon_n\rangle\rangle$$
However, they got the result as a corollary of a ...
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Geometric interpretation of the exceptional isomorphism $PSp(4,3)=PSU(4,2^2)$
It is well-known that there is an isomorphism between $PSp(4,3)$ (the symplectic group of dimension $4$ over $\mathbb F_3$) and $PSU(4,2^2)$ (the unitary group defined by $4\times4$ unitary matrices ...
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What are some interesting examples of non-classical dynamical systems? (Group action other than $\mathbb{Z}$ or $\mathbb{R}$ )
By classical dynamical system, I mean a measure space together with a measurable action of the integers or the reals. Of course, this action is often interpreted as evolution with respect to discrete ...
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Transitive actions of finite subgroups of ${\rm GL}(n,\Bbb Z)$ on projective geometries
For any $n$, the group ${\rm GL}(n,\Bbb Z)$ has a natural action on $\Bbb Z^n$. Modding out a prime $p$ yields an action on the vector space $F_p^n$, where $F_p$ is the finite field with $p$ elements. ...
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do there exist finite simple characteristic quotients of the free group of rank 2?
Let $F_2$ be the free group of rank 2. Let $Aut^+(F_2)$ be the subgroup of $Aut(F_2)$ consisting of automorphisms of determinant 1 under abelianization.
Do there exist maximal normal finite index ...
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What is the largest known Dehn function of f.p. subgroup of a f.p. group with quadratic Dehn function?
Is it true that the Baumslag-Solitar groups, say, $BS(1,n)$, $|n|\ge 2$, are finitely presented groups with largest Dehn functions (namely, exponential growth) known to be inside finitely presented ...
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Your favorite papers on geometric group theory
I would like to improve my "depth of understanding" in geometric group theory. So I am interested in short and accessible papers on subjects related to this field but which are not always ...
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"Concretely" writing down elements in a free profinite group
Let $r$ be a natural number. The elements of the free group $F_r$ on $r$ generators have a nice concrete description as "words" in the $r$ generators (and their inverses). I'd like to know if there is ...
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A "simpler" description of the automorphism group of the lamplighter group
I've copied over this question from what I asked on Mathematics Stack Exchange, in the hope that some experts can point me to some relevant references.
The lamplighter group is defined by the ...
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One question on linear combinations of roots of unity
For $n \geq 1$, I want to find all solutions $x_i$ of the equation
\begin{equation}
\begin{array}l
x_i \in \mathbb{Z}, i=0,1,2\dotsc,n-1 \\
x_i^2 = 1, i=0,1,2\dotsc,n-1 \\
\...
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Decomposition of induced representations / Refinement of Mackey's criterion
There are already some questions with almost the same title, but they are more restrictive.
Let $G$ be a finite group, $H$ a subgroup, $V$ an irreducible representation of $H$,
and $W=Ind_H^G V$ the ...
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Is it true that every f.g. infinite simple group has exponential growth?
Is it true that every finitely generated infinite simple group has
exponential (word-)growth?
Remark: As Mark Sapir has pointed out, the question whether
every finitely generated group of ...
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Elements of a free group that can't be inverted by automorphisms
Let $F_n$ be a free group of rank $n$. Say that $w \in F_n$ is non-reversible if there does not exist any $f \in \text{Aut}(F_n)$ such that $f(w) = w^{-1}$.
Original Question. Intuitively, I expect ...
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How many cells needed to build the classifying space $BG$?
Let $G$ be a finitely presented group of cohomological dimension $n$.
Apart from the unresolved ambiguity pertaining to the Eilenberg--Ganea conjecture, it is known that we can find an $n$-dimensional ...
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Cohomology of central extensions of groups
Let G be a central extension of a finite group H by $Z/2$. I need an explicit description of the differentials $d_2$ and $d_3$ in the Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence which converges to the ...
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Hearing the 17 planar symmetry groups
Though I'm sure it's not really hard to work out for myself, does anyone know a reference for the spectra of the Laplacian on the 17 flat compact orbifolds that underlie the 17 planar symmetry groups. ...
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Group actions and "transfinite dynamics"
$\DeclareMathOperator\Sym{Sym}$I have a question about what I shall name here "transfinite dynamics" because it involves iterating a topological dynamical system $G \curvearrowright X$ ...
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Escaping from a centralizer
Let $G = Sym(n)$, $n$ even. Let $H<G$ be the stabilizer of the partition $\{\{1,2\},\{3,4\},\dotsc,\{n-1,n\}\}$, or, what is the same, the centralizer of $(1\;2) \dotsc (n-1\; n)$.
By Stirling's ...
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Improved classification of compact Lie groups
This question is a follow-up to Classification of (not necessarily connected) compact Lie groups. In the answer to that question, @LSpice proved that any compact, not necessarily connected Lie group $...
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What is the current status of the question of whether or not the mapping class group has Kazhdan's Property (T)?
$\DeclareMathOperator\Mod{Mod}$Let $\Mod(S)$ be the mapping class group of a closed oriented surface $S$ of genus at least $3$. My question is easy to state: is it currently known whether or not $\...
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The Octahedral Axiom in group theory
$\require{AMScd}$Here are two results about groups:
(The third isomorphism theorem) Suppose that I have $A \triangleleft B \triangleleft C$ and $A \triangleleft C$. Then $C/B \cong (C/A)/(B/A)$. ...
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Continuous cohomology of a profinite group is not a delta functor
Let $G$ be a profinite group, then there is a general notion of continuous cohomology groups $H^n_{\text{cont}}(G, M)$ for any topological $G$-module $M$ (I require topological $G$-modules to be ...
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What property do small primes have that prevent the existence of a Tarski monster?
For an odd prime $p$, a Tarski monster group is an infinite group $G$ such that every proper, non-trivial subgroup $H < G$ is a cyclic group of order $p$. It is known that for every prime $p > ...
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Representation categories and homology
Let $G$ be a finite group.
Let $\mathcal{C}=Rep-G$ be the rigid $\mathbb{C}$-linear symmetric monoidal category of finite dimensional complex representations of $G$.
Can we recover some homological ...
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How many sporadic simple groups are there, really?
I attended a talk by John Conway recently where he explained to us that the usual number, 26, was wrong, that there are in fact 27 sporadic simple groups. His reason was that the Tits group, which is ...
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Infinite groups which contain all finite groups as subgroups
There are infinite graphs which contain all finite graphs as induced subgraphs, e.g. the Rado graph or the coprimeness graph on the naturals.
Are there infinite groups which
contain all finite ...
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Finite groups with elements of the same order
Given a finite group $G$, let $\{(1,1),(m_1,n_1),\ldots,(m_r,n_r)\}$ be the list of pairs $(m,n)$ in which $m$ is the order of some element, and $n$ is the number of elements with this order. The ...
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Looking for interesting actions that are not representations
As a person interested in group theory and all things related, I'd like to deepen my knowledge of group actions.
The typical (and indeed the most prominent) example of an action is that of a ...
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Statements about groups proved using semigroups
Question. Has a statement about groups ever been proved using the theory of semigroups?
By "a proof using the theory of semigroups" I do not mean that some steps in the proof are in fact statements ...
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Subgroups of $SL_2(\mathbb R)$ which contain $SL_2(\mathbb Z)$ as a finite index subgroup
Let $G\subset \mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb R)$ be a subgroup such that $\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)\subset G$.
What are the possible groups such that $\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)\subset G$ is of finite index? Is $...
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Finitely generated matrix groups whose eigenvalues are all algebraic
Let $G$ be a finitely generated subgroup of $GL(n,\mathbb{C})$. Assume that there exists a number field $k$ (i.e. a finite extension of $\mathbb{Q}$) such that for all $g \in G$, the eigenvalues of $...
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Finite nonabelian groups of odd order
For every even $n>4$ there exists nonabelian group. As example of such group we can take dihedral group.
The question is about odd $n$. For some of them there are no nonabelian groups of order $n$ (...
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Why, conceptually, does the torus normalizer in $G_2$ split?
Background: Let $G$ be a complex reductive group, $T$ a maximal torus, $N$ the normalizer of $T$ in $G$, and $W = N/T$ the Weyl group. All in all, we have a group extension
$$ 1 \to T \to N \to W \to ...
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