On the structure of the normal subgroups of a group: Supersolubility (Q1199657)

A group \(G\) has the property \(\sigma\) if every non-supersoluble normal subgroup of \(G\) has a finite non-supersoluble \(G\)-quotient. Examples of such groups are the polycyclic-by-finite groups, the free groups and the \(\mathbb{Z}\)-linear groups. The property \(\sigma\) can be characterized in several ways. For instance it is shown that a group \(G\) has the property \(\sigma\) if and only if its Fitting subgroup is finitely generated and \(G\) has the property \(\nu\), i.e. every non-nilpotent normal subgroup of \(G\) has a non-nilpotent \(G\)-quotient. These groups were studied in an earlier paper by the two authors and characterized by `generalized Frattini properties' with respect to the `generalized Frattini subgroup' \(\Phi_ f(G)\), i.e. the intersection of the maximal subgroups of finite index in a group \(G\), or \(G\) itself, if no such subgroups exist. Here it is shown that groups with the property \(\sigma\) have an extremely good \(\Phi_ f(G)\)-structure, i.e. many of the standard properties of the Frattini subgroup of a finite group that relate to supersolubility and nilpotency also hold for groups with \(\sigma\). There are some interesting connections with the property \(\nu\), and there is an algorithm to decide when a normal subgroup of a finitely presented group with property \(\sigma\) is supersoluble.