Simply connected coset complexes for rank 1 groups of Lie type (Q1340957)

Let \(G\) be a finite group and let \(p\) be a prime dividing the order of \(G\). The Quillen complex \(A_p(G)\) is the order complex of the poset of non-trivial elementary abelian \(p\)-subgroups of \(G\). Conjecture: (M. Aschbacher). Let \(G\) be a finite group such that \(G=AF^*(G)\) where \(A\) is an elementary abelian \(p\)-subgroup of \(G\) of rank at least 3 and \(F^*(G)\) is a direct product of simple components of \(G\) of order prime to \(p\) that are permuted transitively by \(A\). Then \(A_p(G)\) is simply connected. Aschbacher showed that if the conjecture holds, then: (1) \(A_p(G)\) is simply connected if and only if \(A_p(G/O_{p'}(G))\) is simply connected for all finite groups \(G\) and (2) the question of whether or not \(A_p(G)\) is simply connected for a general group \(G\) can be reduced to the case when \(G\) is simple. Let \(G\) and \(A\) be as in the conjecture and let \(L\) be a component of \(G\). Aschbacher showed that the conjecture holds if the conjecture holds when \(L\) is a Lie type group of rank 1 or \(L\) is a sporadic group [see the preceding review Zbl 0829.20031]. The main result of this paper extends some results of Aschbacher to show that \(A_p(G)\) is simply connected if four natural conditions are satisfied. As a consequence, the author proves: Theorem 1: As in the conjecture, assume that \(A\) acts regularly on the components of \(G\). Assume that \(L\) is \(L_2(q)\), \(\text{Sz}(q)\) or (\(U_3(q)\) with \(q\equiv{-1}\pmod 3\)). Then \(A_p(G)\) is simply connected. The remaining Lie type groups of rank 1 cases in Theorem 1 are open. Proposition 1: Let \(G\) and \(A\) be as in the conjecture and assume that the conjecture holds when \(A\) acts regularly on the components of \(G\). Then the conjecture holds when the action of \(A\) on the components of \(G\) is not regular if the rank of \(A\) is at least 4. The most difficult open case seems to be the non-regular and rank of \(A=3\) case.