Subgroups close to all of their conjugates (Q1173863): Difference between revisions

\textit{G. M. Bergman} and \textit{H. W. Lenstra} [J. Algebra 127, No. 1, 80-97 (1989, Zbl 0641.20023)] showed that if a subgroup \(H\) of a group \(G\) has the property that \(n_ G(H)\), defined as \(\max\{| H: H\cap H^ g| :\;g\in G\}\), is finite then there is a normal subgroup \(N\) of \(G\) such that both \(| H: N\cap H|\) and \(| NH: H|\) are bounded in terms of \(n_ G(H)\). In particular they showed that if for all \(g\) in \(G\) \(H\cap H^ g\) has index 1 or \(p\) in \(H\), for a fixed prime \(p\), then \(N\vartriangleleft G\) can be found so that either \(H\leq N\) and \(| N:H|=p\), or else \(N\leq H\) and \(H/N\) embeds in the symmetric group \(S_ p\). In this snappy paper the author generalizes the latter result, proving that if \(n_ G(H)=n\) is finite and for each \(g\) in \(G\) \(H\cap H^ g\) is either \(H\) or maximal in \(H\), then \(N\vartriangleleft G\) can be found so that either \(H\leq N\) and \(| N:H| = n\), or else \(N\leq H\) and \(H/N\) embeds in \(S_ n\). He deduces this from a more general theorem where the maximality of \(H\cap H^ g\) in \(H\) is replaced by weaker hypotheses.