Real groups and Sylow 2-subgroups (Q2629108)

Let \(G\) be a group. An element \(x\) of \(G\) is real if \(x\) is conjugate to its inverse, and a character \( \chi \) of \(G\) is real-valued if \( \chi \) only takes real values. It is well-known that the number of real-valued irreducible complex characters of a finite group \(G\) is the number of conjugacy classes of \(G\) consisting of real elements. A finite group \(G\) is said to be a real group if every element of \(G\) is real. \textit{R. Gow} [Arch. Math. 40, 232--237 (1983; Zbl 0498.20009)] conjectured that the Sylow \(2\)-subgroup \(P\) of any finite real group \(G\) has an elementary abelian quotient \(P/P' \) where \(P'\) is the commutator subgroup of \(P\). In the paper under review, the authors confirm the conjecture by proving a stronger theorem: Theorem B: If all the odd-degree irreducible characters in the principle \(2\)-block of a finite group \(G\) are real-valued then \(P/P'\) is elementary abelian, where \(P\) is a Sylow \(2\)-subgroup of \(G\). Note that the converse of the theorem is not true.