Automorphisms of finite \(p\)-groups admitting a partition. (Q1928475)

Let \(G\) be a group and \(n\in\mathbb N\) (\(n>1\)). The `Hughes subgroup' of \(G\) relative to \(n\) is the characteristic subgroup \(H_n(G)=\langle x\mid x^n\neq 1\rangle\). An automorphism \(\varphi\) of \(G\) is called `\(n\)-splitting' if \[ g\cdot g^\varphi\cdots g^{\varphi^{n-1}}=1\quad\forall g\in G \] (it is very easy to prove that if \(\varphi\) is \(n\)-splitting, then \(\varphi^n=1\)). If \(H_n(G)\neq G\) then every element of \(G\setminus H_n(G)\) induces by conjugation on \(H_n(G)\) an \(n\)-splitting automorphism. Let now \(P\) be a finite \(p\)-group. The following three conditions are equivalent: (a) \(P\) has a proper partition, that is, \(P\) is the union of some proper subgroups with trivial pairwise intersections; (b) \(H_p(G)\neq G\); (c) \(P=P_1\rtimes\langle\varphi\rangle\), where \(P_1\) is a maximal subgroup of \(P\) and \(\varphi\) is a \(p\)-splitting automorphism. (These properties have been extensively studied by the author in several papers; for a survey see the book [\textit{E. I. Khukhro}, Nilpotent groups and their automorphisms. De Gruyter Expositions in Mathematics 8. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (1993; Zbl 0795.20018)].) In this interesting paper it is proved that if a finite \(p\)-group \(P\) with a partition admits a soluble \(p'\)-group \(A\) of automorphisms such that the fixed-point subgroup \(C_P(A)\) has derived length \(d\), then \(P\) has a maximal subgroup that is nilpotent of class bounded in terms of \(p\), \(d\) and \(|A|\) (Theorem 1). A similar result was proved by \textit{E. I. Khukhro} and \textit{P. V. Shumyatskij} [Algebra Logic 34, No. 6, 395-405 (1995); translation from Algebra Logika 34, No. 6, 706-723 (1995; Zbl 0901.20026)] for the case where \(P\) has exponent \(p\). It is also shown that if a finite \(p\)-group \(P\) with a partition admits an automorphism group \(A\) that acts faithfully on \(P/H_p(P)\), then the exponent of \(P\) is bounded in terms of the exponent of \(C_P(A)\) (Theorem 2). As a corollary it is proved that if a finite group \(G\) admits a Frobenius group \(FH\) of automorphisms with complement \(H\) and cyclic kernel \(F=\langle\varphi\rangle\) of prime order \(p\) such that \(\varphi\) is a \(p\)-splitting automorphism then: (a) if \(C_G(H)\) has derived length \(d\), then \(G\) is nilpotent of class bounded in terms of \(p\) and \(d\); (b) the exponent of \(G\) is bounded in terms of \(p\) and the exponent of \(C_G(H)\).