Rank-Engel conditions on linear groups (Q2024388)

\noindent Let \(\mathfrak{X}\) be a class of groups. A group \(G\) is said to be \textit{\(\mathfrak{X}\)-Engel} if every \(g\in G\) admits an \textit{\(\mathfrak{X}\)-sink} in \(G\), that is, a subgroup \(E\in\mathfrak{X}\) such that for each \(x\in G\) there is a positive integer \(m(x)\) with \([x,_ng]\in E\) for all \(n\geq m(x)\). Now, if \(G\) is a linear group, it is known that \(G\) is \(\mathfrak{F}\)-Engel (where \(\mathfrak{F}\) denotes the class of all finite groups) if and only if \(G\) is finite-by-hypercentral (see [\textit{P. Shumyatsky}, Monatsh. Math. 186, No. 4, 711--719 (2018; Zbl 1426.20014)]); \(G\) is \(\mathfrak{C}\)-Engel (where \(\mathfrak{C}\) denotes the class of all Černikov groups) if and only if \(G\) is Černikov-by-hypercentral (see [the author, Adv. Group Theory Appl. 7, 143--157 (2019; Zbl 1445.20032)]). Moreover, if \(G\) is linear of positive characteristic, then \(G\) is \(\mathfrak{PF}\)-Engel (where \(\mathfrak{PF}\) denotes the class of all polycyclic-by-finite groups) if and only if \(G\) is \(\mathfrak{PF}\)-Engel; notice here that in characteristic \(0\) the situation is much more complex (see [\textit{B. A. F. Wehrfritz}, Boll. Unione Mat. Ital. 13, No. 1, 1--7 (2020; Zbl 1481.20135)]). The aim of the paper under review is to give a further contribution to the above mentioned results by proving that a linear group of positive characteristic \(G\) is \(\mathfrak{X}_{fr}\)-Engel (where \(\mathfrak{X}_{fr}\) denotes the class of all groups with finite rank) if and only if there is a normal subgroup \(N\) of finite rank such that \(G/N\) is hypercentral (Theorem 1); as a consequence of this result (or its proof), the author proves that similar statements hold for other relevant group classes such as that of locally finite groups (for which actually, as shown in Theorem 4, the restriction of positive characteristic can be neglected). Theorems 2 and 3 of the paper deal with the case of characteristic zero (the latter one in the connected case).