A root system for the Lyons group (Q1101546): Difference between revisions

Recently the question came up how the geometric properties of the Chevalley groups (root systems, root groups, etc.) may be transferred to sporadic groups. We construct a system of 36 root groups for the Lyons group Ly corresponding to the lines in an apartment of Kantor's Tits geometry. Such an apartment is a two-dimensional simplicial complex isomorphic to a torus. Its geometric structure leads to relations between the generators (``roots'') of the root groups which define a group \(\Gamma\). We show that Ly is a factor group of \(\Gamma\). Furthermore, there is strong evidence that \(\Gamma\) \(\cong Ly\). Many large subgroups of Ly (among them, e.g., \(G_ 2(5)\), \(5^{1+4}:4S_ 6\), 5 \(3.SL_ 3(5)\); \(2^{\wedge}A_{11}\), \(3^{\wedge}U_ 4(3)\), \(3^{\wedge}Mc:2)\) can be constructed and identified in a natural way with the help of our root system.