On pro-\(p\) groups admitting a fixed-point-free automorphism (Q1570883)

The paper studies pro-\(p\) groups admitting a fixed-point-free automorphism \(\psi\) of finite order. The first theorem states that if the centralizer of any power of \(\psi\) in such a group \(G\) is a torsion group, then \(G\) has a nilpotent open normal subgroup of class \(h(q)\), where \(q\) is the minimal prime divisor of the order of \(\psi\) and \(h(q)\) is some function of \(q\) (the Higman function). It is a long-standing problem whether any compact torsion group has finite exponent. The problem was reduced to the pro-\(p\) case by W. N. Herfort. In Theorem B the author proves that a torsion pro-\(p\) group admitting a fixed-point-free automorphism of finite order has finite exponent. It is deduced as a corollary that a compact torsion group \(G\) containing an element with finite centralizer in \(G\) is of finite exponent.