Locally finite groups with all subgroups normal-by-(finite rank) (Q1383974)

A group has finite rank \(\leq r\) if all its finitely generated subgroups can be generated by at most \(r\) elements. Let \(G\) be a locally finite group such that \(H/H_G\) has finite rank for all subgroups \(H\) of \(G\) (where \(H_G\) denotes the normal core of \(H\) in \(G\)). The authors prove that then \(G\) has an abelian normal subgroup whose quotient is of finite rank. If, in addition, there is a finite number \(s\) bounding all the ranks of \(H/H_G\), then \(G\) has an abelian normal subgroup whose quotient is of finite rank bounded in terms of \(s\) only.