Generating sets of finite groups
Date
09/2018Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
We investigate the extent to which the exchange relation holds in finite groups G. We define a new equivalence relation ≡m, where two elements are equivalent if each can be substituted for the other in any generating set for G. We then refine this to a new sequence ≡(r)/m of equivalence relations by saying that x≡(r)/m y if each can be substituted for the other in any r-element generating set. The relations ≡(r)/m become finer as r increases, and we define a new group invariant ψ(G) to be the value of r at which they stabilise to ≡m. Remarkably, we are able to prove that if G is soluble then ψ(G) ∈ {d(G),d(G)+1}, where d(G) is the minimum number of generators of G, and to classify the finite soluble groups G for which ψ(G)=d(G). For insoluble G, we show that d(G) ≤ ψ(G) ≤ d(G)+5. However, we know of no examples of groups G for which ψ(G) > d(G)+1. As an application, we look at the generating graph of G, whose vertices are the elements of G, the edges being the 2-element generating sets. Our relation ≡(2)m enables us to calculate Aut(Γ(G)) for all soluble groups G of nonzero spread, and give detailed structural information about Aut(Γ(G)) in the insoluble case.
Citation
Cameron , P J , Lucchini , A & Roney-Dougal , C M 2018 , ' Generating sets of finite groups ' , Transactions of the American Mathematical Society , vol. 370 , no. 9 , pp. 6751-6770 . https://doi.org/10.1090/tran/7248
Publication
Transactions of the American Mathematical Society
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0002-9947Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2017, American Mathematical Society. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1090/tran/7248
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