Groups whose degree graph has three independent vertices (Q1655796)

Let \(G\) be a finite group and \(\mathrm{cd}(G)\) the set of its irreducible complex character degrees. The degree graph of \(G\) has all primes dividing at least one element in \(\mathrm{cd}(G)\) as its vertices, and two vertices are connected by an edge if and only if their product divides some element in \(\mathrm{cd}(G)\). It is well-known that for this graph the largest possible size of an independent set of vertices (i.e., a set of vertices with no edge between any two of them) is 3 (and even 2 if \(G\) is solvable). In the paper under review, the groups whose degree graphs attain the upper bound three are classified as follows. Let \(\pi\) be a set of three primes. Then \(\pi\) is an independent set of vertices of the degree graph of the finite group \(G\) if and only if \(O^{\pi'}(G)=S\times A\) where \(A\) is abelian and \({S\cong\mathrm{SL}_2(p^a)}\) or \(S \cong\mathrm{PSL}_2(p^a)\), for a prime \(p\in \pi\) and a positive integer \(a\). Moreover, if we write \(\pi=\{p,q,s\}\), then \(q\) divides \(p^a+1\), \(s\) divides \({p^a-1}\), and \(q\) and \(s\) are both odd. This result generalizes some previously known facts, which are stated as consequences of the main result in the paper. For example, if the degree graph of \(G\) is connected, then its diameter is bounded above by 3.