Element orders in coverings of finite simple linear and unitary groups and recognizability of \(L_n(2)\) by spectrum. (Q2477467)

Let \(G\) be a finite group. The spectrum of \(G\), denoted by \(\omega(G)\), is the set of all the orders of elements in \(G\). The group \(G\) is called recognizable by spectrum if for every finite group \(H\), the equality \(\omega(G)=\omega(H)\) implies \(G\cong H\). Recently, extensive research is conducted on the problem of recognition of finite simple groups and in proving the recognition of \(G\) one has to verify the following property. For every proper cover \(H\) of \(G\), we have (*) \(\omega(H)\neq\omega(G)\). Verifying (*) for a given finite group \(G\) is very involved and paves the way toward proving the recognition property of \(G\). \textit{V. D. Mazorov} and \textit{A. V. Zavarnitsyn} [Algebra Logika 38, No. 3, 296-315 (1999); translation in Algebra Logic 38, No. 3, 159-170 (1999; Zbl 0930.20003)] prove the groups \(\mathbb{S}_n\) and \(\mathbb{A}_n\), \(n\geq 5\), have property (*). In the paper under review the authors prove that for sufficiently large \(n\), the groups \(\text{PSL}_n(q)\) and \(\text{PSU}_n(q)\) satisfy property (*). As a result they prove that the groups \(\text{PSL}_n(2)\), \(n\geq 2\), are recognizable by spectrum giving an affirmative answer to a conjecture which was first mentioned by \textit{M. R. Darafsheh, A. R. Moghaddamfar} [Commun. Algebra 29, No. 1, 465-475 (2001); Corrigendum 31, No. 9, 4651-4653 (2001; Zbl 0989.20018)].