On powerful normal subgroups of a \(p\)-group (Q1585697)

Suppose the \(p\)-group \(G\) acts on the \(p\)-group \(N\). One says the action is uniserial if the set of \(G\)-invariant subgroups of \(N\) is linearly ordered. This concept plays an essential role in the coclass theory of (finite or profinite) \(p\)-groups: one way of formulating the fundamental results of \textit{C.~R.~Leedham-Green} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 50, No. 1, 49-67 (1994; Zbl 0822.20018)] and \textit{A.~Shalev} [Invent. Math. 115, No. 2, 315-345 (1994; Zbl 0795.20009)] is by saying that there is a function \(f\) such that a \(p\)-group of coclass \(r\) acts uniserially on the \(f(p,r)\)-th term of its lower central series. One of the results of this ingenious paper is an extension of a result of Shalev, to the effect that \(G\) acts uniserially on its powerful normal subgroup \(N\) if and only if \(G\) acts uniserially on \(N/H\), where \(H\) is a \(G\)-invariant subgroup of \(N\) such that \(|N^p:H|=p\). Other results deal with powerful, powerfully embedded and (strongly) hereditarily powerful subgroups.