A 3-local identification of the alternating group of degree 8, the McLaughlin simple group and their automorphism groups. (Q2482077)

The authors [in Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 93, No. 2, 325-394 (2006; Zbl 1121.20010)], classified local characteristic \(p\) completions of weak \(BN\)-pairs when \(p\) is an odd prime. The outcome of this classification is that such groups are either rank 2 Lie type groups in characteristic \(p\), the weak \(BN\)-pair is of type \(\text{PSL}_3(p)\) or \(p\in\{3,5,7\}\) and the weak \(BN\)-pairs have known structure. The groups corresponding to weak \(BN\)-pairs of type \(\text{PSL}_3(p)\) are investigated by \textit{S. J. Astill} [``3-local identifications of some finite simple groups'', Univ. Birmingham, MPhill(Qual) thesis (2007)]. For the larger amalgams when \(p\in\{5,7\}\) the exceptional cases have been analyzed by the authors [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 69, No. 1, 128-140 (2004; Zbl 1065.20028)] and the first author and \textit{C. B. Wiedorn} [Nagoya Math. J. 178, 129-149 (2005; Zbl 1085.20005)]. In the case \(p=3\) there are three different exceptional weak \(BN\)-pairs of characteristic 3. In this paper, one of these exceptional configurations is handled. The main theorem characterizes the sporadic simple group \(McL\) and \(\Aut(McL)\) in terms of certain 3-local data. In addition, similar characterizations of the groups \(A_8\) and \(S_8\) are obtained.