Solvable groups whose character degree graphs generalize squares (Q2303702)

The character degree graph has been revealed as a useful tool to study the normal structure of finite solvable groups. The character degree graph of a group \(G\), denoted by \(\Delta(G)\), has vertex set \(\rho(G)\), which is the set of prime divisors of cd\((G)=\{ \chi(1)\mid \chi \in\mathrm{Irr}(G)\}\), and two distinct vertices \(p\) and \(q\) are connected by an edge when \(pq\) divides some \(a\in\mathrm{cd}(G)\). The authors proved in [J. Algebra 349, 185--200 (2012; Zbl 1251.20011)] that a solvable group \(G\) whose character degree graph is a square is necessarily a direct product of two subgroups of \(G\), each of which has a disconnected graph with exactly two vertices. In the paper under review, the authors extend this idea: a graph is said to be a block square when its vertex set can be partitioned in four nonempty subsets \(\pi_1, \pi_2, \pi_3, \pi_4\), satisfying that no vertex in \(\pi_1\) is adjacent to any vertex in \(\pi_3\) , and similarly for \(\pi_2\) and \(\pi_4\), and moreover, there exist vertices in both \(\pi_1\) and \(\pi_3\) that are adjacent to vertices in \(\pi_2\) and \(\pi_4\). It easily turns out that two groups \(H\) and \(K\) with \(\rho(H)\cap\rho(K)=\emptyset\), and having disconnected graphs satisfy that \(\Delta(H\times K)\) is a block square. The question the authors pose is whether there are other ways to obtain a block square graph with a solvable group. They give a partial response by proving that if \(G\) is a solvable group with \(\Delta(G)\) a block square, then \(G\) has at most two normal nonabelian Sylow subgroups. Then they present two situations where it is possible to obtain that \(G\) is a direct product. These situations correspond to the fact of having one or two normal nonabelian Sylow subgroups.