Groups with the same order and degree pattern. (Q424304)

The well-known notion of the prime graph \(\Gamma(G)\) of a finite group \(G\) has many important applications to the study of arithmetical properties of finite groups. In particular, results on the prime graph of finite simple groups are used in the investigations of the problem of the recognition of finite almost simple groups by their orders and some properties of their prime graphs. Let \(G\) be a finite group and \(\pi(|G|)=\{p_1,\dots,p_k\}\) with \(p_1<p_2<\cdots<p_k\). For \(p\in\pi(|G|)\), let \(\deg(p)\) be the degree (valency) of the vertex \(p\) in the graph \(\Gamma(G)\). According to \textit{A. R. Moghaddamfar, A. R. Zokayi} and \textit{M. R. Darafsheh} [Algebra Colloq. 12, No. 3, 431-442 (2005; Zbl 1072.20015)], we define \(D(G)=(\deg(p_1),\dots,\deg(p_k))\), which is called the degree pattern of \(G\). The group \(G\) is called \(k\)-fold OD-characterizable if there exist exactly \(k\) non-isomorphic finite groups with the same order and the same pattern as \(G\). Usually, a 1-fold OD-characterizable group is simply called an OD-characterizable group. In the present paper, the authors prove that the alternating groups \(A_m\) and \(A_{m+1}\) for \(m\in\{27, 35, 51, 57, 65, 77, 87, 93, 95\}\) are OD-characterizable, while their automorphism groups are 3-fold OD-characterizable. It is also shown that the symmetric groups \(S_{m+2}\) for \[ m\in\{7, 13, 19, 23, 31, 37, 43, 47, 53, 61, 67, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97\} \] are 3-fold OD-characterizable. From this, the following theorem is derived: If \(m\) is a natural number such that \(m\leq 100\) then one of the following holds: (a) if \(m\neq 10\), then the alternating groups \(A_m\) are OD-characterizable, while the symmetric groups \(S_m\) are OD-characterizable or 3-fold OD-characterizable; (b) the alternating group \(A_{10}\) is 2-fold OD-characterizable; (c) the symmetric group \(S_{10}\) is 8-fold OD-characterizable. This theorem completes the study of OD-characterizability of groups \(A_m\) and \(S_m\) for \(m\leq 100\).