Between normal and characteristic and beyond: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:56, 1 November 2013

This is a survey article describing notions intermediate between the following two notions: normal subgroup and characteristic subgroup
View other survey articles about normal subgroup | View other survey articles about characteristic subgroup

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: normal versus characteristic (a comparison of the subgroup properties of normality and characteristicity), varying normality (discusses variations on the subgroup property of normality from a variety of angles), varying characteristicity (discusses variations of the subgroup property of characteristicity from a variety of angles), contrasting subnormality of various depths, and subnormal-to-normal and normal-to-characteristic.

This survey article looks at various subgroup properties that lie somewhere between the property of being a normal subgroup and the property of being a characteristic subgroup. The subgroup properties are organized according to different running themes.

Definitions

Normal subgroup

Further information: normal subgroup

A subgroup of a group is said to be normal if it satisfies the following equivalent conditions:

It is invariant under all inner automorphisms. Thus, normality is the invariance property with respect to the property of an automorphism being inner. This definition also motivates the term invariant subgroup for normal subgroup (which was used earlier).
It is the kernel of a homomorphism from the group.
It equals each of its conjugates in the whole group. This definition also motivates the term self-conjugate subgroup for normal subgroup (which was used earlier).
Its left cosets are the same as its right cosets (that is, it commutes with every element of the group)

Characteristic subgroup

A subgroup of a group is termed characteristic if it satisfies the following equivalent conditions:

Every automorphism of the whole group takes the subgroup to within itself
Every automorphism of the group restricts to an endomorphism of the subgroup
Every automorphism of the group restricts to an automorphism of the subgroup

Relation between normality and characteristicity

Further information: Normal versus characteristic

We have the following basic implication relations:

Characteristic implies normal: A characteristic subgroup must be normal, since invariance under all automorphisms implies invariance under inner automorphisms.
Normal not implies characteristic: A normal subgroup need not be characteristic. For instance, in the group $G \times G$ , both factors are normal but the coordinate exchange automorphism interchanges them, so neither is characteristic.

The transiter relation

Normality is not transitive: A normal subgroup of a normal subgroup need not be normal.
Characteristic of normal implies normal
Left transiter of normal is characteristic: If $H \leq K$ is a subgroup such that whenever $K$ is normal in a group $G$ , so is $H$ , then $H$ is characteristic in $K$ .

The metaproperties satisfied and not satisfied

Further information: Normal versus characteristic

Normality satisfies intermediate subgroup condition, while characteristicity does not satisfy intermediate subgroup condition: If $H \leq K \leq G$ , and $H$ is normal in $G$ , $H$ is normal in $K$ . The analogous statement fails for characteristic subgroups.
Normality satisfies image condition, while characteristicity does not satisfy image condition: The image of a normal subgroup under a surjective homomorphism is normal, but the image of a characteristic subgroup under a surjective homomorphism need not be characteristic.

One notion of betweenness: invariance under the right kind of automorphisms

Normality is defined as the property of being invariant under all inner automorphisms, while characteristicity is defined as the property of being invariant under all automorphisms. Thus, one way of looking for properties in between them is to look for invariance properties with respect to automorphism properties that are weaker than being an inner automorphism.

If $α$ is an automorphism property such that every inner automorphism of a group satisfies $α$ , then the property of being an $α$ -invariant subgroup is stronger than normality and weaker than characteristicity.

Automorphisms of certain orders

Further information: cofactorial automorphism-invariant subgroup, p-automorphism-invariant subgroup

Suppose $G$ is a finite group. Then, $I n n (G) ≅ G / Z (G)$ , and hence, the order of the inner automorphism group of $G$ divides the order of $G$ . In particular, every inner automorphism of a group has order with no prime factors other than those of the order of $G$ .

We can look at the set of all elements of $A u t (G)$ whose order has no prime factors other than those of $G$ . In other words, if $π$ is the set of prime factors of the order of $G$ , we are looking for the subgroup of $A u t (G)$ generated by all the $π$ -automorphisms.

The property of a subgroup being invariant under all such automorphisms is weaker than characteristicity, but stronger than normality. Such a subgroup is termed a cofactorial automorphism-invariant subgroup.

Of particular interest is the situation where $G$ is a $p$ -group. In this case, we are looking at all the $p$ -automorphism-invariant subgroups.

Some properties obtained by composition

Characteristic subgroup of some special type of normal subgroup

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{intermediate notion survey article|normal subgroup|characteristic subgroup}}
+{{quotation|'''YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:''' [[normal versus characteristic]] (a comparison of the subgroup properties of normality and characteristicity), [[varying normality]] (discusses variations on the subgroup property of normality from a variety of angles), [[varying characteristicity]] (discusses variations of the subgroup property of characteristicity from a variety of angles), [[contrasting subnormality of various depths]], and [[subnormal-to-normal and normal-to-characteristic]].}}
 This survey article looks at various subgroup properties that lie somewhere ''between'' the property of being a [[normal subgroup]] and the property of being a [[characteristic subgroup]]. The subgroup properties are organized according to different running themes.
+==Definitions==
-Other closely related articles: [[normal versus characteristic]] (a comparison of the subgroup properties of normality and characteristicity), [[varying normality]] (discusses variations on the subgroup property of normality from a variety of angles), [[varying characteristicity]] (discusses variations of the subgroup property of characteristicity from a variety of angles), and [[from normal to characteristic and subnormal to normal]].
+===Normal subgroup===
-==Review of the definitions==
+{{further|[[normal subgroup]]}}
-{{fillin}}
+A [[subgroup]] of a [[group]] is said to be '''normal''' if it satisfies the following equivalent conditions:
+* It is invariant under all [[inner automorphism]]s. Thus, normality is the [[invariance property]] with respect to the property of an automorphism being inner. This definition also motivates the term ''invariant subgroup'' for normal subgroup (which was used earlier).
+* It is the [[kernel]] of a [[homomorphism]] from the group.
+* It equals each of its [[conjugate subgroups|conjugates]] in the whole group. This definition also motivates the term ''self-conjugate subgroup'' for normal subgroup (which was used earlier).
+* Its left cosets are the same as its right cosets (that is, it commutes with every element of the group)
-==Relation between normality and characteristicity==
+===Characteristic subgroup===
-{{further|[[Normal versus characteristic]]}}
+A [[subgroup]] of a [[group]] is termed '''characteristic''' if it satisfies the following equivalent conditions:
-===The transiter relation===
+* Every [[automorphism]] of the whole group takes the subgroup to within itself
+* Every automorphism of the group restricts to an [[endomorphism]] of the subgroup
+* Every automorphism of the group restricts to an automorphism of the subgroup
-===The metaproperties satisfied and not satisfied===
+==Relation between normality and characteristicity==
+{{further|[[Normal versus characteristic]]}}
-==One notion of betweenness: invariance under the right kind of automorphisms==
+We have the following basic implication relations:
-Normality is defined as the property of being invariant under all [[inner automorphism]]s, while characteristicity is defined as the property of being invariant under ''all'' [[automorphism]]s. Thus, one way of looking for properties in betweenthem is to look for invariance properties with respect to automorphism properties that are weaker than being an inner automorphism.
+* [[Characteristic implies normal]]: A characteristic subgroup must be normal, since invariance under all automorphisms implies invariance under inner automorphisms.
+* [[Normal not implies characteristic]]: A normal subgroup need not be characteristic. For instance, in the group <math>G \times G</math>, both factors are normal but the coordinate exchange automorphism interchanges them, so neither is characteristic.
-If <math>\alpha</math> is an automorphism property such that every inner automorphism of a group satisfies <math>\alpha</math>, then the property of being an <math>\alpha</math>-invariant subgroup is stronger than normality and weaker than characteristicity.
+===The transiter relation===
-===Extensible automorphism===
+* [[Normality is not transitive]]: A normal subgroup of a normal subgroup need not be normal.
+* [[Characteristic of normal implies normal]]
+* [[Left transiter of normal is characteristic]]: If <math>H \le K</math> is a subgroup such that whenever <math>K</math> is normal in a group <math>G</math>, so is <math>H</math>, then <math>H</math> is characteristic in <math>K</math>.
-{{further|[[Extensible automorphism]], [[Inner implies extensible]], [[Extensible automorphism-invariant subgroup]]}}
+===The metaproperties satisfied and not satisfied===
-An automorphism <math>\sigma</math> of a group <math>G</math> is termed an [[extensible automorphism]] if, for any embedding <math>G \le H</math> in a bigger group <math>H</math>, there exists an automorphism <math>\sigma'</math> of <math>H</math> such that the restriction of <math>\sigma'</math> to <math>G</math> is <math>\sigma</math>.
+{{further|[[Normal versus characteristic]]}}
-An automorphism <math>\sigma</math> of a group <math>G</math> is termed an [[infinity-extensible automorphism]] if it can be extended to something that is again infinity-extensible, i.e., if it can be recursively extended.
+* [[Normality satisfies intermediate subgroup condition]], while [[characteristicity does not satisfy intermediate subgroup condition]]: If <math>H \le K \le G</math>, and <math>H</math> is normal in <math>G</math>, <math>H</math> is normal in <math>K</math>. The analogous statement fails for characteristic subgroups.
+* [[Normality satisfies image condition]], while [[characteristicity does not satisfy image condition]]: The image of a normal subgroup under a surjective homomorphism is normal, but the image of a characteristic subgroup under a surjective homomorphism need not be characteristic.
-Inner automorphisms are infinity-extensible, because every inner automorphism of a subgroup extends to an inner automorphism of the whole group.
+==One notion of betweenness: invariance under the right kind of automorphisms==
-Thus, we have the following chain of implications:
+Normality is defined as the property of being invariant under all [[inner automorphism]]s, while characteristicity is defined as the property of being invariant under ''all'' [[automorphism]]s. Thus, one way of looking for properties in between them is to look for invariance properties with respect to automorphism properties that are weaker than being an inner automorphism.
-[[Inner automorphism]] <math>\implies</math> [[Infinity-extensible automorphism]] <math>\implies</math> [[Extensible automorphism]] <math>\implies</math> [[Automorphism]]
+If <math>\alpha</math> is an automorphism property such that every inner automorphism of a group satisfies <math>\alpha</math>, then the property of being an <math>\alpha</math>-invariant subgroup is stronger than normality and weaker than characteristicity.
-This leads to some subgroup properties weaker than characteristicity and stronger than normality:
-* [[Extensible automorphism-invariant subgroup]]: A subgroup that is invariant under all the extensible automorphisms of the whole group.
-* [[Infinity-extensible automorphism-invariant subgroup]]: A subgroup that is invariant under all the infinity-extensible automorphisms of the whole group.
-The [[extensible automorphisms conjecture]] states that every extensible automorphism of a group is inner. If that conjecture were true, then both the above properties would collapse to normality. More generally, if it were true that every extensible automorphism of a group is a [[normal automorphism]], both the above properties would collapse to normality.
 ===Automorphisms of certain orders===
@@ Line 56: / Line 62: @@
 Of particular interest is the situation where <math>G</math> is a <math>p</math>-group. In this case, we are looking at all the <math>p</math>-automorphism-invariant subgroups.
-==Remedying the intermediate subgroup condition==
-===The issue===
-{{further|[[Normality satisfies intermediate subgroup condition]], [[Characteristicity does not satisfy intermediate subgroup condition]]}}
-If <math>H \le K \le G</math> are groups and <math>H</math> is a characteristic subgroup of <math>G</math>, then <math>H</math> need not be characteristic in <math>K</math>. On the other hand, if <math>H</math> is normal in <math>G</math>, then <math>H</math> must be normal in <math>K</math>.
-===Potentially characteristic====
-{{further|[[Potentially characteristic subgroup]], [[Potentially relatively characteristic subgroup]], [[Strongly potentially characteristic subgroup]]}}
-* [[Potentially characteristic subgroup]]: A subgroup <math>H</math> of a group <math>K</math> is termed '''potentially characteristic''' in <math>K</math> if there exists a group <math>G</math> containing <math>K</math> such that <math>H</math> is a characteristic subgroup of <math>G</math>.
-* [[Strongly potentially characteristic subgroup]]: A subgroup <math>H</math> of a group <math>K</math> is termed '''strongly potentially characteristic''' in <math>K</math> if there exists a group <math>G</math> containing <math>K</math> such that both <math>H</math> and <math>K</math> are characteristic subgroups of <math>G</math>.
-* [[Potentially relatively characteristic subgroup]]: A subgroup <math>H</math> of a group <math>K</math> is termed '''potentially relatively characteristic''' in <math>K</math> if, for every automorphism <math>\sigma</math> of <math>K</math> that extends to an automorphism of <math>G</math>, <math>\sigma(H) = H</math>.
-The implication sequence is:
-Characteristic <math>\implies</math> Strongly potentially characteristic <math>\implies</math> Potentially characteristic <math>\implies</math> Potentially relatively characteristic <math>\implies</math> Extensible automorphism-invariant
-==Remedying the image condition==
 ==Some properties obtained by composition==
@@ Line 85: / Line 69: @@
 * [[Characteristic subgroup of direct factor]]
 * [[Characteristic subgroup of central factor]]
+* [[Characteristic subgroup of transitively normal subgroup]]