Varieties of finite supersolvable groups with the M.~Hall property. (Q2498478)

The term `variety' in the title refers to what are often termed `pseudovarieties': classes of finite semigroups closed under finite direct products, subsemigroups and quotients. Their importance originally stemmed from considerations in language theory. In particular, language-theoretic considerations led to the study of three particular varieties associated with a given group (pseudo)variety \(\mathbf H\), namely \(\mathbf{PH}\), generated by the power semigroups (semigroups of subsets) of members of \(\mathbf H\); \(\mathbf J*\mathbf H\), generated by semidirect products of \(\mathcal J\)-trivial semigroups with groups in \(\mathbf H\); and \(\mathbf J\circm\mathbf H\), generated by coextensions of groups in \(\mathbf H\) by \(\mathcal J\)-trivial semigroups. In general, the inclusions \(\mathbf{PH}\subseteq\mathbf J*\mathbf H\subseteq\mathbf J\circm\mathbf H\) hold and the question of when either of these relations is equality has been shown to be of prime importance, in large part because these equalities have also been shown to be equivalent to fundamental questions on profinite groups. That both equalities hold for the variety of all groups is in itself a celebrated theorem in the field [see \textit{J.-E. Pin}, in Semigroups, formal languages and groups. NATO ASI Ser., Ser. C, Math. Phys. Sci. 466, 33-47 (1995; Zbl 0872.20054)]. From this point of view, an `M. Hall' variety of groups is simply one for which \(\mathbf{PH}=\mathbf J*\mathbf H\) holds and the main result of the paper then states that a supersolvable variety has this property if and only if for some prime \(p\) and positive integer \(d\mid p-1\) it has the form \(\mathbf G_p*\mathbf{Ab}(d)\), that is, it comprises the extensions of \(p\)-groups by Abelian groups of exponent dividing \(d\). However, the proof of this and related theorems involves deep excursions into profinite group theory. The key to the theorem just stated is a proof that the M. Hall property for supersolvable varieties is equivalent to the property that each (relatively) free profinite group of finite rank over \(\mathbf H\) is `freely indexed', that is, satisfies Schreier's formula relating the rank of any open subgroup to the rank of the whole group. (Sufficiency holds in general.) Further, various conditions on a variety \(\mathbf H\) equivalent to the M. Hall property are needed along the way. As a consequence of the main theorem, it follows that for each nontrivial M. Hall variety of supersolvable groups, \(\mathbf{PH}=\mathbf J*\mathbf H=\mathbf J\circm\mathbf H\) holds, and that the membership problem for this variety of monoids is solvable.