Finite groups of units of finite characteristic rings (Q1647867)

In this article, the authors address on the Fuch's question: which groups can be the group units of a commutative ring. They call an abelian group realizable if it is a group of units of a finite characteristic ring. The following result is shown. Theorem. If \(A\) is a ring of finite characteristic, then the group of units \(A^*\) is a finite product of groups of the form \(GF(p^\lambda)^*\times H\) where \(H\) is an abelian \(p\) group, where each \(p\) is a prime dividing the characteristic of \(A\), and gives at least one factor. Moreover, if \(A\) is a reduced ring of finite characteristic, then \(A^*\) is a finite product of the multiplicative groups of finite fields, and if \(A\) is a domain, then \(A^*\) is the multiplicative group of a finite field. This theorem allows to answer a question raised by \textit{S. Z. Ditor} [Am. Math. Mon. 78, 522--523 (1971; Zbl 0216.06601)] in the case of finite characteristic rings about possible numbers for \(|A^*|\). The authors exhibit infinite families of realizable groups as well as infinite families of non-realizable groups, showing that the general problem could be very complicated.