Compact rings having a finite simple group of units (Q1358935)

Let \(A\) be a compact ring with identity and \(G\) its group of units. Denote below by \(W\) the subgroup of \(G\) generated by involutions and by \(J(A)\) the Jacobson radical of \(A\). The authors study the structure of compact rings satisfying one of the following conditions: (i) \(G\) is simple; (ii) \(G/Z(G)\) is simple; (iii) \(W\) is abelian. Theorem. Let \(A\) be a compact ring with identity and \(G\) be the group of units of \(A\). \(G\) is simple if and only if \(A\) is topologically isomorphic to \(\prod_{\alpha\in\Lambda}Z/(2)\) for some nonempty set \(\Lambda\) or \(A\) is topologically isomorphic to \((\prod_{\alpha\in\Lambda}Z/(2))\times A_0\) where \(\Lambda\) is an arbitrary set and \(A_0\) is one of the following rings: (1) a finite field of cardinality 3 or \(2^n\) for some positive integer \(n\) such that \(2^n-1\) is a prime, (2) the set of \(n\times n\) matrices over \(Z/(2)\) where \(n\) is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3, (3) \(Z/(4)\), (4) \(Z/(2)[x]/(x^2)\), or (5) the ring of \(2\times 2\) upper triangular matrices over \(Z/(2)\). Under the conditions \(1/2\in A\), \((1+J(A))\cap W\subseteq Z(G)\) a complete characterization of compact rings is given for which \(G/Z(G)\) is simple. The following theorem contains a complete characterization of compact rings \(A\) with a nilpotent group \(W\): Theorem. Let \(A\) be a compact ring containing \(1/2\). The following conditions are equivalent: (1) \(W\) is nilpotent, (2) \(A\) is topologically isomorphic to a product \(\prod_{\alpha\in\Lambda}N_\alpha\), where \(\Lambda\) is a nonempty set and for each \(\alpha\) in \(\Lambda\), \(N_\alpha\) is a compact local ring with identity such that the characteristic of \(N_\alpha/J(N_\alpha)\) is an odd prime \(p_\alpha\), (3) \(W\) is abelian, (4) the product of any two involutions is an involution. The paper contains ingenious lemmas and in the proofs are used some deep facts from the theory of finite groups.