Normal subgroups of nonstandard symmetric and alternating groups (Q868663)

Let \({\mathcal M}\) be a nonstandard model of Peano arithmetic, with domain \(M\), and \(n\in M\) be a nonstandard natural number. Denote by \(S_n\) and \(A_n\) the symmetric and the alternating group of permutations of the internal set \(\{0,1,\dots,n-1\}\), respectively. By the transfer principle, \(S_n\) and \(A_n\) have all the usual properties of the symmetric and the alternating group, respectively. In particular, as \(n\) is nonstandard, \(n\) is greater than 5. Therefore, \(A_n\) is simple so it contains no normal subgroups, definable in the model \({\mathcal M}\). However, in the external universe, \(A_n\) is an infinite group and has external subgroups. Some of these subgroups turn out to be normal. So an interesting task emerges to study the normal subgroup structure of \(A_n\). The main result of the paper under review is a classification of the external normal subgroups of \(S_n\). The classification has some resemblance to the results of Baer, Schreier and Ulam on the normal subgroup structure for infinite symmetric groups [\textit{R. Baer}, ``Die Kompositionsreihe der Gruppe aller eineindeutigen Abbildungen einer unendlichen Menge auf sich'', Stud. Math. 5, 15--17 (1935; Zbl 0010.15402)], [\textit{J. Schreier} and \textit{S. Ulam}, ``Über die Permutationsgruppe der natürlichen Zahlenfolge'', Stud. Math. 4, 134--141 (1933; Zbl 0008.20003)]. Finally, it is shown how the model of arithmetic may be used to define pseudo-metric structures on \(S_n\) and \(A_n\) with values in \(M\).