On the number of circular orders on a group (Q1644839)

A group with a left invariant linear ordering is called a left ordered group [\textit{P. Conrad}, Mich. Math. J. 6, 267--275 (1959; Zbl 0099.01703)]. More generally, a circular ordering is given by a left invariant 3-cocycle with values in \(\{-1,0,1\}\), non-zero on distinct elements, with value 1 on positively ordered triples. In this extended framework, cobounderies correspond to left orderings on the group. For a left ordered group \(G\), a central strong order unit \(z\) gives rise to circularly ordered group \(G/\langle z\rangle\), and every circularly ordered group arises in this way from its ``universal covering'' with infinite cyclic fundamental group. The prototype is given by the locally compact cycle group \(S^1=\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}\), with its universal covering \(\mathbb{R}\). On the other hand, every circularly ordered group has a greatest convex linear subgroup, so that the factor group is again circularly ordered. The set of linear or circular orderings of a group \(G\), endowed with a natural topology, is a totally disconnected compact space, denoted by \(\mathrm{LO}(G)\) or \(\mathrm{CO}(G)\), respectively. \textit{V. M. Tararin}'s famous theorem [Sib. Mat. Zh. 32, No. 5(189), 203--204 (1991; Zbl 0751.20034)] classifies the groups with finitely many left orders. For such a group \(T\), the convex subgroups form a finite sequence \(1\vartriangleleft T_m\vartriangleleft\cdots\vartriangleleft T_0=T\) with rank 1 torsion-free abelian groups \(T_i/T_{i+1}\). Then \(|\mathrm{LO}(T)|\) is a power of 2. Using Tararin's result [loc. cit.], \textit{P. A. Linnell} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 43, No. 1, 200--202 (2011; Zbl 1215.06009)] and \textit{A. Navas} [Ann. Inst. Fourier 60, No. 5, 1685--1740 (2010; Zbl 1316.06018)] proved that in general, \(|\mathrm{LO}(T)|\) is either finite or uncountable. In the paper under review, these results are extended to circular orderings. Apart from finite cyclic groups \(C_n\), the groups with finitely many circular orderings are shown to be of the form \(T\rtimes C_{2n}\), with a Tararin group \(T\), such that the generator of \(C_{2n}\) acts by inversion on the Archimedean factor group of \(T\).