Some transitivity-like concepts in abelian groups (Q2415306)

An abelian group is $p$-local for a prime $p$ if multiplication by every integer prime to $p$ is an automorphism. An Ulm sequence is a non-decreasing countable sequence of ordinals or symbols $\infty$; the set of Ulm sequences is partially ordered pointwise. Each element $x$ of a $p$-local group $G$ is equipped with an Ulm sequence $U_G(x)$ whose $n$th term is the height of $p^nx$ in $G$. \par The authors study various notions of transitivity that $G$ may possess relating Ulm sequences and endomorphisms of $G$. Four types of transitivity have been introduced in the literature, but this paper is the first in which their relationship has been definitively established. A $p$-local group is \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \textit{transitive} if whenever $U_G(x)=U_G(y),\ G$ has an automorphism $\alpha$ with $ \alpha(x)=y$; \item[(2)] \textit{fully transitive} if whenever $U_G(x)\leq U_G(y),\ G$ has an endomorphism $\phi$ with $\phi(x)=y$; \item[(3)] \textit{Krylov transitive} if whenever $U_G(x)=U_G(y),\ G$ has an endmorphism $\phi$ with $\phi(x)=y$; \item[(4)] \textit{weakly transitive} if whenever $x, y\in G$ satisfy $\phi(x)=y$ and $\psi(y)=x$ for some endomorphisms $\phi$ and $\psi$, then $G$ has an automorphism $\alpha$ with $\alpha(x)=y$; although Ulm sequences are not mentioned here, the hypothesis implies that $U_G(x)=U_G(y)$. \end{itemize} The main results of the paper are that the relationships between the notions (1) to (4) differ according to the nature of the group $G$ and the prime $p$. \par If $p=2$ and $G$ is a $2$-group, then Krylov transitive implies fully transitive and transitive is equivalent to Krylov $+$ weakly transitive; \par If $p>2$ and $G$ is a $p$-group, then fully transitive is equivalent to Krylov transitive and transitive is equivalent to Krylov $+$ weakly transitive; \par If $p>2$ and $G$ is a mixed $p$-local group such that the divisible summand of its torsion free quotient $G/t(G)$ has rank $\leq 1$, then fully transitive is equivalent to Krylov transitive.