Homology decompositions and groups inducing fusion systems (Q1935102)

Not all fusion systems on a finite \(p\)-group \(S\) are realizable as the fusion system of a finite group having \(S\) as a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup. Recent results of Chermak prove however that they all have an associated centric linking system \(\mathcal L\), i.e. a \(p\)-local finite group, hence a classifying space \(|\mathcal L|\), as introduced by \textit{C. Broto, R. Levi} and \textit{B. Oliver} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 16, No. 4, 779--856 (2003; Zbl 1033.55010)]. The motivation of the article under review lies in earlier work of \textit{I. J. Leary} and \textit{R. Stancu} [Algebra Number Theory 1, No. 1, 17--34 (2007; Zbl 1131.20012)] and \textit{G. R. Robinson} [J. Algebra 314, No. 2, 912--923 (2007; Zbl 1184.20024)], who constructed groups that are \textit{infinite} in general, contain \(S\) as a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup, and realize the given fusion system. \textit{M. Aschbacher} and \textit{A. Chermak} constructed such a group for the so-called Solomon fusion system [Ann. Math. (2) 171, No. 2, 881--978 (2010; Zbl 1213.20017)]. The authors give a unified approach to these constructions and study the relationship between the mod \(p\) cohomology of the \(p\)-local finite group and that of the infinite group. The idea is to realize \(|\mathcal L|\) by different homology decompositions as homotopy colimits related to certain graphs of groups. The classifying space of the Leary-Stancu group for example is obtained from a subgroup decomposition; Robinson's from the normalizer decomposition for centric subgroups; and Aschbacher-Chermak's from the normalizer decomposition for elementary abelian subgroups. The latter ones, because of the shape of the graph of groups, have a mod \(p\) cohomology which is very close to that of \(|\mathcal L|\): all products of elements in the kernel of the inclusion \(Bi^*: H^*(\pi; \mathbb F_p) \rightarrow H^*(S; \mathbb F_p)\) vanish.