No label defined (Q4243089)

The first three volumes of this series on the classification of finite simple groups collect basic material which is later used in the proof [for No. 3, Part I (1998) see Zbl 0890.20012]. This fourth volume starts with the actual proof, i.e., it considers the situation where \(G\) is a minimal counterexample to this classification theorem. The main results of this book are in chapters 2 and 3 and provide a collection of uniqueness results for \(G\). Chapter 2 treats \textit{H. Bender}'s Strongly Embedded Subgroups Theorem [J. Algebra 17, 527-554 (1971; Zbl 0237.20014)]. To a large part its proof combines an approach to \textit{M. Aschbacher}'s work on finite groups with a proper 2-generated core [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 197, 87-112 (1974; Zbl 0302.20025)], which is also proved. Improvements of D. M. Goldschmidt and \textit{T. Peterfalvi} [Astérisque 142/143, 141-296 (1986; Zbl 0716.20010)] are incorporated in the proofs. It should be noted, that for these theorems the authors depart from their general rule considering just the \(\mathcal K\)-group \(G\): the above results are proved for arbitrary finite groups \(X\). However for some corollaries the strength of the \(\mathcal K\)-group assumption is used. For instance the \(\mathcal K\)-proper simple groups with a 2-uniqueness subgroup are classified. Moreover, \textit{D. M. Goldschmidt}'s work on strongly closed Abelian 2-groups [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 99, 70-117 (1974; Zbl 0276.20011)] and \textit{D. F. Holt}'s work on permutation groups where central involutions have one fixed point [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 37, 165-192 (1978; Zbl 0382.20005)] are reproduced in the case of \(\mathcal K\)-proper simple groups of even type. Chapter 3 deals with results which the authors call ``\(p\)-component pre-uniqueness theorems''. The common theme is a maximal subgroup \(M\) which has a \(p\)-component \(K\) such that the centralizer \(W\) of \(K/O_{p'}(K)\) has \(p\)-rank at least 2 such that \(C(y)\subset M\) for every nontrivial \(p\)-element in \(W\). This situation will arise later in the classification proof where \(K\) is a \(p\)-component of the centralizer of some \(p\)-element of \(G\) and where the \(p'\)-cores of \(C(x)\), \(x\in W\) have been assembled. The general conclusion is that \(M\) is a strongly \(p\)-embedded subgroup of \(G\). In case \(p=2\) this will give an immediate contradiction while in the later course of this work it will also be shown that for \(p\) odd \(G\) of even type will also not exist. Chapters 1 and 4 collect \(\mathcal K\)-groups properties essential to the work in chapters 2 and 3.