Subgroups which are the union of two conjugacy classes (Q1580447)

Let \(G\) be a finite group and \(h\in G\setminus Z(G)\). If \(H=\{1\}\cup\text{Cl}_G(h)\) is a subgroup of \(G\), then \(H\) is called small. Clearly, if \(H\) is small, then \(H\) is an elementary Abelian normal subgroup of \(G\), and \(G\) acts transitively on \(H^\#\). In this situation, Sections VIII \S 3 and XII \S 7 of [\textit{B. Huppert} and \textit{N. Blackburn}, Finite Groups II, III, Springer, Berlin (1982; Zbl 0477.20001, Zbl 0514.20002)] apply. Let \(H\) be a small subgroup of \(G\). By elementary group theory, it is shown that under one of the following hypotheses: (1) \(H=G'\), \(Z(G)=\{1\}\); or (2) \(C_G(h)=H\), it follows that \(G\) is a Frobenius group with kernel \(H\). In the situation of (1), the complement \(Q\) obviously is Abelian, whence cyclic. As \(Q\) acts transitively on \(H^\#\), one gets \(|Q|=|H|-1\) and so \(|G|=|H|(|H|-1)\). The character-theoretic information on \(G\) derived in Theorem 2.1 is now clear from standard facts concerning representations of Frobenius groups [see Section 4.5 of \textit{D. Gorenstein}, Finite Groups, Harper \& Row, New York (1968; Zbl 0185.05701)]. For its proof, characters can thus be avoided. Further character-theoretic properties of groups with a small subgroup are derived.