Symmetric presentations for the Fischer groups. I: The classical groups \(\text{Sp}_6(2)\), \(\text{Sp}_8(2)\), and \(3\cdot\text{O}_7(3)\) (Q1398169)

There is a long running project started by \textit{R. T. Curtis} to give symmetric presentations for the sporadic simple groups. For an overview of most of the results obtained so far see [The atlas of finite groups: ten years on, 1995, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 249, 39-57 (1998; Zbl 0907.20036)]. Let \(F\) be a free product of \(n\) cyclic groups of order \(m\). Let \(H\) be the automorphism group of such a cyclic group. Then \(H\wr\Sigma_n\) has a natural action, called monomial, on \(F\). Let \(N\) be a transitive subgroup of \(H\wr\Sigma_n\), then consider \(F:N\). Finite homomorphic images of this group are called symmetric presentations. In this paper the cyclic groups are always of order two, so \(H=1\). The symmetric presentations given in this paper are with \(n=210\) and \(N\cong \Sigma_{10}\) for \(\text{Sp}_8(2)\), \(n=42\), \(N\cong\Sigma_7\) for \(\text{Sp}_6(2)\), and \(n=288\), \(N\cong\text{Sp}_6(2)\) for \(3\cdot\text{O}_7(3)\). In the first case there are two relations, in the second three while in the last just one. The correctness of the presentations has been checked via MAGMA. This paper is just a step in establishing symmetric presentations for the Fischer groups, which will be given in a forthcoming paper due to the same authors.