Finite groups that act on spheres in which a central element acts freely (Q1063914)

The author shows that if a finite group G acts on a homotopy sphere \(\Sigma^{2N-1}\) and G contains a central element T of order p, a prime, that acts freely on \(\Sigma^{2N-1}\), then there is an element \(\xi\) in \(H^{2p^{\mu (N)}}(G;{\mathbb{Z}}_ p)\) where \(\mu (N)=\max \{i: p^ i| N\}\) such that multiplication by \(\xi\) is an injection on \(H^*(G;{\mathbb{Z}}_ p)\). The proof is an application of the spectral sequence for the extension \[ 1\to {\mathbb{Z}}_ p\to G\to K\to 1 \] along with Carlsson's notions of the k-invariant of a chain complex and equivariant Eilenberg-Mac Lane spaces. Comparisons between the group extension spectral sequence and the Leray-Serre spectral sequences associated to the actions of G and \({\mathbb{Z}}_ p\) are set up through a splitting lemma, and the comparisons lead to the main result. When G acts freely on \(\Sigma^{2N-1}\), the author concludes further that \(H^*(G;{\mathbb{Z}}_ p)\) is periodic of order \(2p^{\mu (N)}\). Finally, he applies these results to the case of extra special 2-groups.