The symmetric crosscap spectrum of abelian groups (Q1671965)

It is well known that every finite group acts effectively on a compact non-orientable surface without boundary. The minimum genus of such a surface on which a finite group \(G\) acts, is called the symmetric crosscap number of \(G\). In this work, the authors study the abelian crosscap spectrum which is defined as the set of natural numbers which can be crosscap numbers of finite abelian groups. The problem of finding the symmetric crosscap numbers of finite abelian groups has been solved by [\textit{G. Gromadzki}, Ann. Soc. Math. Pol., Ser. I, Commentat. Math. 28, No. 2, 197--217 (1989; Zbl 0693.30038)]. Building upon this work, the authors prove that an even number \(n\) lies in the abelian crosscap spectrum if and only if \(n\equiv 2 \mod{4}.\) Furthermore, it is proved that an odd number \(n\) lies in the crosscap spectrum of an abelian group \(G\) if and only if \(G\) has odd order or \(G\) contains a cyclic maximal 2-subgroup. The authors also provide examples of rank 3 finite abelian groups whose symmetric crosscap numbers do not match with any rank 2 finite abelian group.