Finite groups and the fixed points of coprime automorphisms (Q2750840)

Let \(A\) be an elementary Abelian group of order \(p^k\), where \(p\) is a prime, and assume \(A\) is acting on a finite \(p'\)-group \(G\). The author proves two related results. The first is that if \(k=3\), and for all \(a\in A^\#\), the centralizer \(C_G(a)\) is nilpotent of class at most \(c\), then \(G\) is nilpotent of class bounded by a function depending only on \(p\) and \(c\). The second is that if \(k=4\), and for all \(a\in A^\#\), the derived subgroup of the centralizer \(C_G(a)'\) is nilpotent of class at most \(c\), then \(G'\) is nilpotent of class bounded by a function depending only on \(p\) and \(c\). The author offers as a conjecture some more general statements extending these to all \(k\geq 3\). The proofs rely on the study of the associated Lie rings.