Computing intersections and normalizers in soluble groups (Q919456)

Refinements of earlier algorithms by the first author [J. Symb. Comput. 5, 295-301, 285-294 (1988; Zbl 0654.20002; Zbl 0654.20001)] are presented that try to avoid orbit-stabilizer algorithms with computation of large orbits of cosets under right multiplications or of subgroups under conjugation. Soluble groups G are represented in a computer by a (consistent) power- commutator-presentation passing through a normal series \(G=N_ 0>N_ 1>...>N_ r=1\) with elementary abelian factors, subgroups have a canonical generating series, many computations proceed inductively from \(G/N_ i\) to \(G/N_{i+1}\) [\textit{R. Laue}, \textit{J. Neubüser} and \textit{U. Schoenwaelder}, Computational Group Theory, Durham, 1982, 105-135 (1984; Zbl 0547.20012)]. In order to compute the intersection of two subgroups H and K the authors now insert the subgroup \(R_ i/N_{i+1}=(H\cap N_ i)\) \((K\cap N_ i)\) \(N_{i+1}/N_{i+1}\) and still use an orbit-stabilizer algorithm (for an affine group on a vector space, not for a general permutation group as before) to get from \(HN_ i\cap KN_ i\) to \(HR_ i\cap KR_ i\), but are then able to apply a generalization of the orbit-stabilizer- free covering algorithm [\textit{S. P. Glasby}, loc.cit.] to calculate \(HN_{i+1}\cap KN_{i+1}\) from \(HR_ i\cap KR_ i\) (it does not cause trouble that \(HR_ i\) or \(KR_ i\) may not be a subgroup). Similarly for the computation of the normalizer of a subgroup H [\textit{S. P. Glasby}, loc.cit.] new steps are inserted that reduce the computation of large orbits (on subgroups under conjugation) to a number of smaller orbits in connection with a variation of the orbit-stabilizer-free conjugation algorithm in coprime situations. [Further improvement is offerend in a recent paper by \textit{F. Celler}, \textit{J. Neubüser} and \textit{C. R. B. Wright}, Some remarks on the computation of complements and normalizers in soluble groups, in: Topics in Computational Algebra, 57-76 (Kluwer 1990), reprinted from Acta Appl. Math. 21, No.1/2, 57-76 (1990)]. Implementations within the system CAYLEY (and GAP) demonstrate the effectiveness of these refined algorithms.