Outer unipotent classes in automorphism groups of simple algebraic groups. (Q2922876)

Let \(G\) be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field \(K\) of characteristic \(p\). Assume the pair \((G,p)\) is taken from the following list \((A_\ell,2)\), \((D_\ell,2)\), \((E_6,2)\), \((D_4,3)\). In the last case assume that \(G\) is simply connected or adjoint. The authors choose an almost simple overgroup of \(G\) with an element \(\tau\) so that conjugation by \(\tau\) gives the graph automorphism of order \(p\) of \(G\). Now the problem is to classify the unipotent elements in the coset \(G\tau\) and to describe their centralizers. Given a Frobenius morphism \(\gamma\) on \(G\) one has a similar problem for the finite group \(G_\gamma\) of fixed points. The paper gives detailed information in all cases and relates the results with the classification of conjugacy classes in the overgroup.NEWLINENEWLINE From the summary: We also obtain a formula for the total number of outer unipotent elements in the finite group \(G_\gamma\langle\tau\rangle\), \dots, analogous to the well-known Steinberg formula for the number of inner unipotent elements.