Compact groups with many elements of bounded order (Q2208322)

Every compact (Hausdorff) group \(G\) admits a unique normalized Haar measure \(\mathfrak{m}\). If \(X\) is a measurable subset of \(G\) such that \(\mathfrak{m}(X)>0\), then it is not true in general that \(X\) contains a non-empty open subset, even if \(G\) is profinite. In this direction, the authors study the following conjecture proposed by Lèvai and Pyber. \textit{If \(G\) is a profinite group such that the set of solutions of the equation \(x^n=1\) has positive Haar measure, then \(G\) has an open subgroup \(H\) and an element \(t\) such that all elements of the coset \(tH\) has order dividing \(n\).} The validity of the conjecture was confirmed for \(n=2\) by Lèvai and Pyber. In this paper, the authors generalize the latter for compact (Hausdorff) groups for the set of all elements inverting by an automorphism (non necessarily continuous) of a compact group. \(\bullet\) Let \(G\) be a compact group having an automorphism \(\alpha\) such that the set \(X=\{x\in G\,|\,x^\alpha=x^{-1}\}\) is measurable and of positive Haar measure. Then \(G\) contains an open normal abelian subgroup. In particular, there exists an open abelian subgroup \(A\) of \(G\) such that \(tA\subseteq X\) for some \(t\in X\). However, for \(n=3\), the authors are not able to settle the conjecture, but they prove that compact groups (not necessarily profinite) in which the set of elements of order dividing \(3\) is of positive Haar measure, contain open normal 2-Engel subgroups. A sufficient condition on a symmetric subset of a group to generate a 2-Engel subgroup is given. \(\bullet\) Let \(G\) be a compact group, and let \(\alpha\) be a not necessarily continuous automorphism of \(G\) such that \(\alpha ^3=1\) and the set \(X=\{x\in G\,|\,x^{\alpha^2}x^\alpha x=x^{-1}\}\) is measurable. If \(X\) has positive Haar measure, then \(G\) contains an open normal 2-Engel subgroup. The main tool to deal with compact groups is a general result of independent interest on measurable subsets of compact groups with positive Haar measure. \(\bullet\) Let \(G\) be a compact group. Suppose that \(A_1,\ldots,A_n\) are measurable subsets of \(G\) with positive Haar measure. Then the map \[ G\times\cdots\times G\rightarrow \mathbb{R}^{\geq0},\quad (x_1,\ldots,x_n)\mapsto \mathfrak{m}(x_1A_1\cap\cdots\cap x_nA_n) \] is non-zero and continuous. In particular, if \(A\) is a measurable subset with positive Haar measure, then for any positive integer \(k\) there exists an open subset \(U\) of \(G\) containing \(1\) such that \(\mathfrak{m}(A\cap u_1A\cap\cdots\cap u_kA)>0\) for all \(u_1,\ldots,u_k\in U\). This result shows the latter subsets are relatively \(k\)-large sets in compact groups. A subset \(X\) of a group \(G\) is called \textit{large} if \(\bigcap\limits_{a\in F}aX\) is not empty for any finite non-empty subset \(F\subseteq G\). The subset \(X\) is \textit{relatively \(k\)-large} with respect a subset \(M\) of \(G\), for some \(k\in \mathbb{N}\), if \(\bigcap\limits_{a\in F}aX\) is not empty for any subset \(F\subseteq M\) with \(|F|=k.\)