The probability of generating a finite classical group (Q2639170)

\textit{E. Netto} [Substitutionentheorie und ihre Anwendungen auf die Algebra, see p. 76 (Teubner, Leipzig) (1882; JFM 14.0090.01); English translation: The theory of substitutions and its applications to algebra (Ann Arbor, Mich.) (1892); second edition, see p. 90 (Chelsea, New York) (1964)] conjectured that if two or more elements are randomly chosen from the symmetric group \(S_ n\) of degree n, they will generate either \(S_ n\) or the alternating group \(A_ n\) with a probability near to 1. This conjecture was proved by \textit{J. D. Dixon} [Math. Z. 110, 199-205 (1969; Zbl 0176.299)]. The quantitative form of Dixon's result was improved by \textit{J. D. Bovey} and \textit{A. Williamson} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 10, 91- 96 (1978; Zbl 0384.20003)], \textit{J. D. Bovey} [ibid. 12, 47-51 (1980; Zbl 0436.20002)] and \textit{L. Babai} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 52, 148-153 (1989; Zbl 0685.60012)]. Dixon [ibid.] conjectured that if two elements are randomly chosen from a finite simple group G, they will generate G with probability \(\to 1\) as \(| G| \to \infty.\) In the paper under review the authors prove Dixon's conjecture for classical groups and certain exceptional groups. Their main result is the following Theorem: Let \(G_ 0\) denote a finite simple classical group, and let \(G_ 0\leq G\leq Aut(G_ 0)\). If P(G) is the probability that two randomly chosen elements of G do not generate a group containing \(G_ 0\), then P(G)\(\to 0\) as \(| G| \to \infty\). The proof uses the classification of finite simple groups. Using only elementary properties of \(A_ n\), the authors answer a question posed by \textit{M. D. Fried} and \textit{M. Jarden} [Field Arithmetic, see Problem 16.16(2) (Springer, Berlin-Heidelberg) (1986; Zbl 0625.12001)] concerning the probability of generating free profinite groups.