On the isomorphism problem for group rings and completed augmentation ideals (Q1103048)

From a part of the author's introduction: ``Let G be a group, \(\Delta_{{\mathbb{Z}}}G\) its integral and \(\Delta\) G its modular augmentation ideal, i.e., over the field \({\mathbb{F}}_ p\) of p elements. In this note, we consider the integral isomorphism problem - whether \(\Delta_{{\mathbb{Z}}}G=\Delta_{{\mathbb{Z}}}H\) implies \(G\overset \sim \rightarrow H\)- for certain finite p-groups and emphasize the aspect of how much of our methods carry over to the modular case. - Having finite p-groups at our disposal, the most obvious approach to attack the isomorphism problem is to try some kind of induction...''. The author defines a group to be \({\mathbb{F}}_ p\)-strongly characterized by its integral group ring, if \(\Delta_{{\mathbb{Z}}}G=\Delta_{{\mathbb{Z}}}H\) implies the existence of an isomorphism \(G\overset \sim \rightarrow H\), whose extension to an automorphism of \(\Delta_{{\mathbb{Z}}}G\) induces the identity on \(\Delta\) G/\(\Delta\) 2G. The main result is Theorem (3.3): Let F be a finitely generated free group and \(R\subset F_ 2\cdot F\) p a normal subgroup such that F/R is a finite p-group. If F/R is \({\mathbb{F}}_ p\)-strongly characterized by its integral group ring, then so are F/[F,R] p and F/[R,R]R p \((F_ 2\) denoting the second term of the lower central series and [, ] denoting group commutators). Finite metabelian p-groups are \({\mathbb{F}}_ p\)- strongly characterized by their integral group ring and so the Theorem (3.3) applies here. The following example is given of how the induction works: For an arbitrary group H define \(\lambda_ 1(H)=H\) and \(\lambda_{n+1}(H)=[H,\lambda_ n(H)]\lambda_ n(H)\) p, p a prime. Then the series \(\lambda_ 1(H)\supset \cdot \cdot \cdot \lambda_ n(H)\supset \cdot \cdot \cdot\) forms a descending central series of H, and it turns out that \(\lambda_ n(H)=H_ 1^{p^{n-1}}\cdot H_ 2^{p^{n-2}}\cdot \cdot \cdot H_ n.\) If F is now a finitely generated free group, then \(F/F_ 2F\) \(p=F/\lambda_ 2(F)\) is - as an abelian group - \({\mathbb{F}}_ p\)-strongly characterized by its integral group ring, and (3.3) thus, inductively, gives Corollary 3.6. \(F/\lambda_ n(F)\) is \({\mathbb{F}}_ p\)-strongly characterized by its integral group ring for all \(n\in {\mathbb{N}}\). Also it is possible to show that, if F is a finitely generated free group and R a normal subgroup lying between two successive terms of the series of modular dimension subgroups of F with respect to the prime p - say, \(M_{n+1,p}(F)\subset R\subset M_{n,p}(F)\)- then F/R is characterized by \({\mathbb{F}}_ p(F/R)\). This generalizes Sehgal's result that groups G with \(M_{3,p}(G)=1\) are characterized by \(F_ p(G)\).