Index-subgroups of the Nottingham group. (Q1418001)

The Nottingham group over the finite field of \(p\) elements, \({\mathcal J}={\mathcal J}(\mathbb{F}_p)\), can be described as the set of normalized formal power series over \(\mathbb{F}_p\) (i.e. \(\{x+\sum a_ix^{i+1}:a_i\in\mathbb{F}_p\}\)) under substitution. It is a 2-generator, just-infinite pro-\(p\) group and, by a result of the reviewer, it contains every countably-based pro-\(p\) group as a closed subgroup [J. Algebra 196, No. 1, 101-113 (1997; Zbl 0883.20015)]. However, as the authors note, the subgroup structure of \(\mathcal J\) remains rather mysterious. In this well-written paper the authors give a comprehensive insight into the so-called index-subgroups of \(\mathcal J\). A subgroup \(H\) is called index if there exists a subset \(I\) of the natural numbers such that \(H={\mathcal J}[I]:=\{x+\sum_{i\in I} a_ix^{i+1}:a_i\in\mathbb{F}_p\}\). A subset \(I\) that gives rise to a subgroup of the Nottingham group (as opposed to just a topologically closed subset) is called an admissible index-set. The authors begin by giving an arithmetic characterization of admissible index-sets, thereby extending a result of \textit{I. York} [Groups of Formal Power Series (PhD Thesis, University of Nottingham, Nottingham) (1990)], and then go on to identify four interesting classes of index subgroups (\(r\) and \(s\) are natural numbers): (a) \({\mathcal A}_s:={\mathcal J}[s\mathbb{N}]\), (b) \({\mathcal B}_{r,s}:={\mathcal J}[p^r\mathbb{N}\cup(p^s\mathbb{N}-1)]\) where \(r\geq s\), (c) \({\mathcal C}_s:=[p^s\mathbb{N}-1]\), (d) \({\mathcal D}:=[\{p^n-1:n\in\mathbb{N}\}]\). The authors concentrate their attention on examples (b)-(d) as the groups \({\mathcal A}_s\) have been previously studied by \textit{I. Fesenko} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 517, 61-80 (1999; Zbl 0997.11107)] and the reviewer [Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 42, No. 2, 333-339 (1999; Zbl 0931.20023)] independently. Among other things the authors prove that: (i) The groups \({\mathcal B}_{r,r}\) are hereditarily just-infinite, have finite width and infinite obliquity and are pairwise non-commensurable. (ii) The group \({\mathcal C}_1\) contains uncountably many index-subgroups which are not finitely-generated; among these are all the groups \({\mathcal C}_s\). (iii) The Hausdorff spectrum of \(\mathcal J\) begins with a proper interval.