Construction of 2-local finite groups of a type studied by Solomon and Benson (Q1811533)

The authors construct, for each odd prime power \(q\), an exotic \(2\)-local finite group, \(\roman{Sol}(q)\). The fusion system of \(\roman{Sol}(q)\) is, by a theorem of R. Solomon, not equivalent to the \(2\)-fusion system of any finite group and the classifying space \(B\roman{Sol}(q)\) is, as predicted by D. Benson, homotopy equivalent to the homotopy equalizer, \(BDI_4(q)\), of the Adams operation \(\psi^q\) and the identity map on the Dwyer-Wilkerson space \(BDI(4)\). The new input and organizing principle of the present approach is the concept of a \(p\)-local finite group as developed in [\textit{C. Broto, R. Levi, B. Oliver}, The homotopy theory of fusion systems, preprint, (2001)]. Informally speaking, a \(p\)-local finite group is an algebraization of the homotopy theoretic information carried by the \(p\)-completed classifying space of a finite group. To be more precise, recall that the \(p\)-fusion system of a finite group \(G\) is the category \(\mathcal F_p(G)\) whose objects are the \(p\)-subgroups of \(G\) and whose morphisms are those monomorphisms induced by conjugation in \(G\). The \(p\)-linking system \(\mathcal L_p(G)\) is a refined version of the \(p\)-fusion system. The linking system is a lift of the fusion system as there is a projection functor \(\mathcal L_p(G) \to\mathcal F_p(G)\) that is bijective on objects and surjective on morphisms. In schematic form, there are these relations \[ G \leftrightarrow BG @>\text{\(p\)-completion} >> BG_p \leftrightarrow \mathcal L_p(G) \to \mathcal F_p(G) \] between the group \(G\), its classifying space \(BG\), its \(p\)-completed classifying space \(BG_p\), and its associated fusion and linking systems. (A recent theorem of Oliver asserts that the last arrow can be reversed as \( \mathcal F_p(G)\) determines \(BG_p\).) The \(p\)-fusion system of any finite group satisfies some additional axioms as formulated by Puig. An abstract saturated \(p\)-fusion system over a finite \(p\)-group \(S\) is a category \(\mathcal F\) whose objects are the subgroups of \(S\), whose morphisms are monomorphisms, including those induced by conjugation in \(S\), such that \(\mathcal F\) satisfies the Puig axioms. (The skeletal subcategory \(\mathcal F_S(G)\) of \(\mathcal F_p(G)\) generated by all subgroups of a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup \(S \subset G\) is an example of a saturated fusion system over the \(p\)-group \(S\).) A \(p\)-local finite group is a saturated \(p\)-fusion system \(\mathcal F\) that admits a classifying space, i.e., admits a lift in the form of an associated (centric) linking system and a functor \(\mathcal L \to \mathcal F\) where \(\mathcal L\) is a category similar to the (centric) linking system of a finite group. The authors define a family of saturated \(2\)-fusion systems \(\mathcal{F}_{\roman{Sol}(q)}\) over the Sylow \(2\)-subgroup of \(\roman{Spin}_7(q)\). They show, by means of an obstruction theory, that \(\mathcal{F}_{\roman{Sol}(q)}\) is the fusion system of a unique \(2\)-local finite group, \(\roman{Sol}(q)\), but not the \(2\)-fusion system of any finite group. The classifying space \(B\roman{Sol}(q)\) is homotopy equivalent to the space \(BDI_4(q)\) that \textit{D. Benson} [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 252, 10-23 (1998; Zbl 0928.55017)] cast as the \(2\)-completed classifying space of the nonexistent Solomon group. Benson's space \(BDI_4(q)\) is the homotopy equalizer for the Adams operation \(\psi^q\) and the identity map on the Dwyer-Wilkerson space \(BDI(4)\) [\textit{W. Dwyer, C. Wilkerson}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 6, No. 1, 37-64 (1993; Zbl 0769.55007)]. In analogy with Friedlander--Mislin theory [\textit{E. M. Friedlander, G. Mislin}, Comment. Math. Helv. 59, 347-361 (1984; Zbl 0548.55016)], we may thus view \(\roman{Sol}(q)\) as a \(2\)-local finite Chevalley group version of the \(2\)-compact group \(DI(4)\).