A problem in the Kourovka notebook concerning the number of conjugacy classes of a finite group
In this paper, we consider Problem 14.44 in the Kourovka notebook, which is a conjecture about th... more In this paper, we consider Problem 14.44 in the Kourovka notebook, which is a conjecture about the number of conjugacy classes of a finite group. While elementary, this conjecture is still open and appears to elude any straightforward proof, even in the soluble case. However, we do prove that a minimal soluble counterexample must have certain properties, in particular that it must have Fitting height at least 3 and order at least 2000.
The generalised Fitting subgroup of a finite group is the group generated by all subnormal subgro... more The generalised Fitting subgroup of a finite group is the group generated by all subnormal subgroups that are either nilpotent or quasisimple. The importance of this subgroup in finite group theory stems from the fact that it always contains its own centraliser, so that any finite group is an abelian extension of a group of automorphisms of its generalised Fitting subgroup. We define a class of profinite groups which generalises this phenomenon, and explore some consequences for the structure of profinite groups.
Subgroups of finite index and the just infinite property
A residually finite (profinite) group $G$ is just infinite if every non-trivial (closed) normal s... more A residually finite (profinite) group $G$ is just infinite if every non-trivial (closed) normal subgroup of $G$ is of finite index. This paper considers the problem of determining whether a (closed) subgroup $H$ of a just infinite group is itself just infinite. If $G$ is not virtually abelian, we give a description of the just infinite property for normal subgroups in terms of maximal subgroups. In particular, we show that such a group $G$ is hereditarily just infinite if and only if all maximal subgroups of finite index are just infinite. We also obtain results for certain families of virtually abelian groups, including all virtually abelian pro-$p$ groups and their discrete analogues.
On the structure of just infinite profinite groups
A profinite group $G$ is just infinite if every closed normal subgroup of $G$ is of finite index.... more A profinite group $G$ is just infinite if every closed normal subgroup of $G$ is of finite index. We prove that an infinite profinite group is just infinite if and only if, for every open subgroup $H$ of $G$, there are only finitely many open normal subgroups of $G$ not contained in $H$. This extends a result recently established by Barnea, Gavioli, Jaikin-Zapirain, Monti and Scoppola, who proved the same characterisation in the case of pro-$p$ groups. We also use this result to establish a number of features of the general structure of profinite groups with regard to the just infinite property.
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Papers by Colin Reid