The \(Z^*\)-theorem for compact Lie groups (Q1191421)

A subgroup \(H\) of a finite group \(G\) is said to control \(p\)-fusion in \(G\) if the inclusion \(H\to G\) induces an equivalence of the categories of finite \(p\)-subgroups of \(H\) and \(G\). One way of stating the classical \(Z^*\)-theorem (due to Glauberman for \(p=2\) and to the classification for odd \(p\)) is the following: if the centralizer \(C_ G(A)\) of a \(p\)- subgroup \(A\) of \(G\) controls \(p\)-fusion in \(G\), then \(G=C_ G(A)\cdot O_{p'}(G)\), where \(O_{p'}(G)\) denotes the maximal normal subgroup of \(G\) of order prime to \(p\). The main result of the paper asserts that the same result holds for a (not necessarily connected) compact Lie group \(G\) and a subgroup \(A\) which is either a (not necessarily finite) \(p\)- subgroup or a \(p\)-toral subgroup. The notion of control of fusion can be generalized using the category of all finite \(p\)-subgroups, or all \(p\)- subgroups, or all \(p\)-toral subgroups; it turns out that one gets equivalent notions. This work is motivated by a recent theorem of Mislin which asserts that \(H\) controls \(p\)-fusion in a compact Lie group \(G\) if and only if \(BH\to BG\) induces an isomorphism in \(\text{mod-}p\) cohomology.