No label defined (Q4807505)

Let \(n,d\in\mathbb{N}\). Put \(s(0)=s(1)=1\) and \(s(n)=(n-1)+\cdots+1\), \(s(n,d)=s(n)-s(n-d)\) for \(n\geq 2\). Clearly, \(s(n)=\tfrac 12n(n-1)\), \(s(n)=s(n,n)=s(n,n-1)\). Let \(G\) be a group of order \(p^n\) and let \(p^{E_p(G)}=|\Aut(G)|_p\), the order of a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup of \(\Aut(G)\). If \(d=d(G)\) is the minimal number of generators of \(G\), then \(E_p(G)\leq s(d)+d(n-d)\leq s(n)\). \textit{G. A. Miller} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 12, 387-402 (1911; JFM 42.0163.01)] classified all \(G\) with \(E_p(G)=s(n)\) (if \(G\) is such a group, then it is either Abelian of type \((p^2,p,\dots,p)\) or a direct product of a non-Abelian group of order \(p^3\) and an elementary Abelian group). The authors classify the \(p\)-groups \(G\) satisfying \(E_p(G)=s(n)-1\). It appears that \(G=M\times E\), where \(E\) is elementary Abelian and \(M\) is one of \(12\) small groups described in two lemmas. Next, the \(p\)-groups \(G\), satisfying one of the following conditions, are presented: (i) \(E_p(G)=s(n,d)\) (homocyclic groups satisfy this condition), (ii) \(s(n)-6\leq E_p(G)\leq s(n)\), (iii) \(n\leq E_p(G)\leq 2n-3\) and (iv) \(n\leq E_p(G)\leq s(n)\) for all \(n\leq 7\).