On the structure of \(p\)-local abelian groups (Q1178041)

The main result of this paper is a classification, by numerical invariants, of certain mixed \(p\)-local (abelian) groups called \(B\)- modules. The reader of this review is assumed to know standard (mixed) abelian group terminology. Let \(\mu\) be an infinite limit ordinal. A pair (\(H,G\)) is called a \(B_ \mu\)-pair provided \(G\) is a reduced \(p\)-local balanced projective group of length not exceeding \(\mu\) and \(H\) is a subgroup of \(G\) that satisfies three conditions: (i) \(H\) is isotype in \(G\), (ii) \(p^ \alpha(G/H)=(p^ \alpha G+H)/H\) for all \(\alpha < \mu\), (iii) \(G/H\) is a balanced projective group. The group \(H\) in such a \(B_ \mu\)-pair is called a \(\mu\)-elementary \(B\)- module. Any reduced \(p\)-local balanced projective group is a \(\mu\)- elementary \(B\)-module for large enough \(\mu\). A \(B\)-module is any \(p\)- local abelian group that can be expressed as the direct sum of a balanced projective group and \(\mu\)-elementary \(B\)-modules for various \(\mu\)'s. Theorem 2.1. If \((H,G)\) is a \(B_ \mu\)-pair with \(\text{cof}(\mu)=\omega\), then \(H\) is a balanced projective group. If \(H\) is a \(B\)-module, the authors define \(B\)-invariants for \(H\) using the Ulm-Kaplansky and Warfield invariants for \(H\) and for certain subgroups \(E_ \mu(H)\) of \(H\), \(\mu\) a limit ordinal. The main theorem is: Theorem 3.1. Let \(H\) and \(H'\) be \(p\)-local \(B\)-modules. Then \(H\) is isomorphic to \(H'\) if and only if \(H\) and \(H'\) have identical \(B\)- invariants. An \(A\)-group is a certain type of isotype subgroup of a reduced totally projective \(p\)-group. Such groups \(H\) were previously classified by P. Hill, using invariants that include the Ulm-Kaplansky invariants of \(H\) and of the subgroups \(E_ \mu(H)\). The torsion \(B\)-modules turn out to be precisely the \(A\)-groups. Additional relationships with \(A\)-groups are established. Theorem 4.2. Let \(H\) be a \(B\)-module. The following are equivalent: (1) \(H\) has a decomposition basis. (2) \(E_ \mu(H)\) is torsion for all \(\mu\). (3) \(H\) is the direct sum of a balanced projective and an \(A\)-group. An \(S\)-module is a \(B\)-module \(H\) with the property that each \(E_ \mu(H)\) is divisible. The \(S\)-modules include the \(S\)-groups of R. B. Warfield. Theorem 5.1. If \(H\) is an isotype subgroup of the reduced \(p\)- local balanced projective group \(G\) with \(G/H\) countable, then \(H\) is an \(S\)-module. A final section in the paper treats the question of which sets of \(B\)-invariants can be realized by \(B\)-modules.