On near subgroups (Q1313832)

Let \(G\) be an abelian group and let \(A \subseteq G\). Then \(A\) is said to be a near-subgroup (NSG) if for each \(a \in A\) there is an automorphism \(\theta_ a\) of \(G\), such that \(\theta_ a(A) = A + a\). This concept arises in the study of switching of graphs. (A switching of a graph \(G\) with respect to a set \(W\) of its vertices is the graph obtained from \(G\) by replacing the edges between \(W\) and \(V(G)\setminus W\) by the non- edges.) In groups of odd order any coset is a NSG. The authors give examples of NSG that are not cosets, in particular for cyclic groups. They show, among other results, that in a cyclic group of square-free order all NSG are cosets. It is conjectured that in a cyclic group of arbitrary order \(n\) any NSG whose order divides \(n\) is forcibly a coset.