Moufang sets of finite Morley rank of odd type. (Q2253049)

This paper deals with the classification of small simple groups of finite Morley rank. Recall that a \(BN\)-pair in a group \(G\) is pair of subgroups \(B\) and \(N\) generating \(G\) such that \(B\cap N\) is normal in \(N\), the \textit{Weyl group} \(W=N/(B\cap N)\) is generated by a set \(I\) of involutions none of which normalizes \(B\), such that for any \(i\in I\) and \(w\in W\) we have \(iBw\subset BiwB\cup BwB\). The size of \(I\) is called the Tits rank. Any simple group over an algebraically closed field has a \(BN\)-pair; conversely, \textit{L. Kramer, K. Tent} and \textit{H. Van Maldeghem} [Isr. J. Math. 109, 189-224 (1999; Zbl 0933.20020)] have shown that a simple group of finite Morley rank with a \(BN\)-pair of rank at least \(3\) is algebraic, and there are partial results in Tits rank \(2\). A Moufang set is essentially equivalent to a split \(BN\)-pair of rank \(1\). More precisely, it is a pair \((X;\{U_x\}_{x\in X})\), where \(X\) is a set and \(\{U_x\}_{x\in X}\) is a family of subgroups of the symmetric group on \(X\), such that every \(U_x\) fixes \(x\) and acts regularly on \(X\setminus\{x\}\), and \(\{U_x\}_{x\in X}\) is a conjugacy class of subgroups in \(G=\langle U_x:x\in X\rangle\), the \textit{little projctive group}. The Moufang set is \textit{proper} if the action is not sharply \(2\)-transitive, and \textit{hereditarily proper} if all sub-Moufang sets are proper; a \(2\)-point stabilizer is called a \textit{Hua} subgroup. The Moufang set is of finite Morley rank if the action of \(G\) on \(X\) (or equivalently, \(G\) and the system \(\{U_x:x\in X\}\)) is interpretable in a structure of finite Morley rank. It has degenerate/even/odd/mixed type if \(G\) does. The main example of a proper Moufang set is given by an algebraically closed field \(F\), with \(X=\mathbb P^1(F)\) the projective line, \(G=\text{PSL}_2(F)\) and \(U_x\) the stabilizer of \(x\). The author conjectures that all proper Moufang sets of finite Morley rank are of this form. He shows that the conjecture holds for an infinite hereditarily proper Moufang set of finite Morley rank of odd type, provided (a) the Hua subgroup is nilpotent, or (b) all infinite definable sections of odd type of the Hua subgroup are algebraic, unless the root groups \(U_x\) are simple of degenerate type and the Hua subgroups have Prüfer-\(2\)-rank at least \(2\). The proof uses results by \textit{Y. Segev} [Commun. Contemp. Math. 10, No. 3, 455-475 (2008; Zbl 1156.20027)] and previous work of the author.