On profinite groups in which commutators are covered by finitely many subgroups. (Q1955707)

The paper under review is concerned with verbal subgroups in profinite groups that are associated to outer-commutator words. Given a group word \(w=w(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\) in \(n\) variables and a profinite group \(G\), the verbal subgroup \(w(G)\) is the closed subgroup generated by the set \(V_w(G)=\{w(g_1,\dots,g_n)\mid g_i\in G\}\) of all \(w\)-values in \(G\). An outer-commutator word in \(n\) variables is defined recursively as follows: \(x_1\) is an outer-commutator word for \(n=1\), and, whenever \(u\) and \(v\) are outer-commutator words in \(m\) and \(n-m\) variables, then \(w=[u(x_1,\ldots,x_m),v(x_{m+1},\ldots,x_n)]\) is an outer-commutator word. Familiar examples of outer-commutator words include the lower central words, \(\gamma_1=x_1\) and \(\gamma_k=[\gamma_{k-1}(x_1,\ldots,x_{k-1}),x_k]\) for \(k\geq 2\). The authors prove that the verbal subgroup \(w(G)\) of an outer-commutator word in a profinite group \(G\) inherits properties such as periodicity, finite exponent or finite rank from finite collections of closed subgroups covering the set \(V_w(G)\). These results are in the spirit of classical theorems of R.~Baer and B.~H.~Neumann; compare [\textit{B. H. Neumann}, J. Lond. Math. Soc. 29, 236-248 (1954; Zbl 0055.01604)]. We remark that, by a theorem of E.~Zelmanov, periodic profinite groups are in fact locally finite, and we recall that the rank of a profinite group \(G\) is defined as \(\mathrm{rk}(G)=\sup\{d(H)\mid H\leq_{\mathrm c}G\}\), where \(d(H)\) denotes the minimal number of topological generators of a closed subgroup \(H\). The main results of the paper can now be summarized as follows. (1) Let \(G\) be a profinite group and let \(w\) be an outer-commutator word such that \(V_w(G)\) is contained in a finite union of subgroups \(G_1,\ldots,G_s\) that are periodic, resp.\ of finite rank. Then \(w(G)\) is periodic, resp.\ of finite rank, due to Theorems 1.1 and 1.4. (2) Let \(G\) be a profinite group and consider the \(k\)th lower central word \(\gamma_k\). Suppose that \(V_{\gamma_k}(G)\) is contained in a finite union of subgroups \(G_1,\ldots,G_s\) that are of finite exponent dividing \(n\), resp.\ of finite rank at most~\(n\). Then \(\gamma_k(G)\) has finite \((n,k,s)\)-bounded exponent, resp.\ finite \((n,k,s)\)-bounded rank, due to Theorems 1.3 and 1.5. Clearly, the assertions in (2) can be regarded as quantitative versions of the corresponding assertions in (1), in the special case \(w=\gamma_k\). Furthermore, the proof of Theorem 1.1 naturally gives rise to a general method for establishing analogous results for properties of profinite groups (such as being periodic) satisfying a certain list of axioms (Theorem 1.2). The proofs rely on a combination of methods, including: techniques from combinatorial group theory, results of \textit{P. Shumyatsky} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 132, No. 2, 193-196 (2002; Zbl 1007.20024)] based on Lie-theoretic techniques created by E.~Zelmanov in the solution of the restricted Burnside problem, results of \textit{A. Lubotzky} and \textit{A. Mann} [J. Algebra 105, 484-505 (1987; Zbl 0626.20010)] on powerful \(p\)-groups, and at one point a result of \textit{R. M. Guralnick} [Arch. Math. 53, No. 6, 521-523 (1989; Zbl 0675.20026)] and \textit{A. Lucchini} [Arch. Math. 53, No. 4, 313-317 (1989; Zbl 0679.20028)] on generating finite groups, which relies on the classification of finite simple groups.