Capability, homology, and central series of a pair of groups (Q1907161)

A group \(K\) is said to be capable if it is isomorphic to the inner automorphism group \(\text{Inn}(M)\) of some group \(M\). \textit{P. Hall} remarked [in J. Reine Angew. Math. 182, 130-141 (1940; Zbl 0023.21001)] that characterizations of capable groups are important in classifying groups of prime power order. Recent work on capability can be found in [J. Algebra 61, 161-177 (1979; Zbl 0428.20028), Lect. Notes Math. 958 (1982; Zbl 0544.20001)]. The main purpose of this paper is to show that the theory on capability, Schur multipliers and central series of groups can be extended in a useful way to a theory for pairs of groups; by a pair of groups the author means a group \(H\) and a normal subgroup \(M\). Capable pairs are defined in terms of \textit{J.-L. Loday}'s notion of a relative central extension [J. Algebra 54, 178-202 (1978; Zbl 0391.20040)] and a complete classification of finitely generated abelian capable pairs is given. The notion of the relative lower central series of a pair \((H,M)\) is introduced and some extensions of results of \textit{J. Stallings} [J. Algebra 2, 170-181 (1965; Zbl 0135.05201)] and Tate on homology and lower central series are obtained. Moreover, the author obtains sufficient conditions for a group not to be a normal subgroup of some capable group, thus recovering \textit{S. Shahriari}'s results [Arch. Math. 48, 193-198 (1987; Zbl 0598.20022)] that neither the quaternion group of order \(2^n\) (\(n\geq 3\)), nor the quasi-dihedral group of order \(2^n\) (\(n\geq 4\)) is a normal subgroup of some capable group.