The mod p cohomology algebra of the group \(M(p^ n)\) (Q1078334)

Let \(M(p^ n)\) be the following group: \(M(p^ n)=<a,b\); \(a^{p^{n- 1}}=b^ p=1\), \(b^{-1}ab=a^{1+p^{n-2}}>\), \(n\geq 3\). In 1968, \textit{G. Lewis} computed the integral cohomology ring of \(M(p^ 3)\) [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 132, 501-529 (1968; Zbl 0217.349)] by using the Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence of the group extension \(1\to <a>\to M(p^ 3)\to <b>\to 1.\) In the present paper, the authors compute the cohomology algebra of \(M(p^ n)\) with coefficients in \(Z_ p\), p an odd prime, by using the Hochschild-Serre sequence of the central extension \(1\to <a^{p^{n- 2}}>\to M(p^ n)\to <A>\times <B>\to 1\). Here, \(<A>\) and \(<B>\) are cyclic groups of orders \(p^{n-2}\) and p, resp. A and B are the images of a and b, resp.