The \(p\)-coclass of a group (Q1320205)

If \(P\) is a finite \(p\)-group the coclass cocl\((P)\) is defined by cocl\((P) = n - \text{cl} (P)\) where \(|P |= p^n\) and \(\text{cl} (P)\) is the length of its lower central series. \textit{C. R. Leedham-Green, M. F. Newman} and others showed that a satisfactory theory of \(p\)-groups of small coclass can be developed [Arch. Math. 35, 193-202 (1980; Zbl 0437.20016)]. In this paper the authors generalize the notion of coclass to extensions of \(p\)-groups by small fixed groups, trying to obtain a similar theory to that developed by Leedham and Green. Definition. i) Let \(X\) be a finite group, \(p\) a prime, \(K = O_p (X)\) and \(G = X/K\). Then the \(p\)-coclass of \(X\) is defined by \(\text{cocl}_p(X) = f - c\) where \(f\) is the number of \(G\)-composition factors of \(K\) and \(c = \text{cl} (K)\). ii) Let \(p\) be a prime and \(X\) a virtual pro-\(p\)-group (i.e. it has a normal pro-\(p\)-subgroup of finite index). Let \(K\) be the maximal normal pro-\(p\)- subgroup of \(X\) and \(G = X/K\). Then the \(p\)-coclass of \(X\) is defined as \(\text{cocl}_p = (X) \lim_{i \to \infty} \text{cocl}_p (X/\gamma_i (K))\) if this exists and infinity otherwise, where \(\gamma_i (K)\) are the terms of the lower central series of \(K\) as pro-\(p\)-group (i.e. \(\gamma_1 (K) =K\) and \(\gamma_i (K)\) is the closure of \([K, \gamma_{i - 1} (K)]\) for \(i > 1\)). In the case when \(K\) is soluble they obtain the following result: Theorem: Let \(X\) be a virtual pro-\(p\)-group in which the maximal normal pro-\(p\)-subgroup \(K\) is soluble (as pro-\(p\)-group) and suppose that \(\text{cocl}_p (X)\) is finite. Then \(X\) has a maximal finite normal subgroup \(N\) and \(X/N\) is isomorphic to a \(p\)-adic space group. Moreover they provide some interesting examples and reveal some possible lines of attack.