Groups with large Noether bound (Q486780)

Let \(G\) be a finite group, and \(V\) a \(G\)-module of finite dimension over a field \(\mathbb F\). By a classical theorem of E. Noether the algebra of polynomial invariants on \(V\), denoted by \(\mathbb F[V]^G\), is finitely generated. Set \(\beta(G,V):=\min\{d\in\mathbb N\mid \mathbb F[V]^G\) is generated by elements of degree at most \(d\}\) and \(\beta(G):=\sup\{\beta(G,V)\mid V\) is a finite dimensional \(G\)-module over \(\mathbb F\}\). The famous theorem on the Noether bound asserts that \(\beta(G)\leq |G|\) provided that char\((\mathbb F)\) does not divide \(|G|\). The main result of the present article is that \(\beta(G)\geq \frac{1}{2}|G|\) if and only if \(G\) has a cyclic subgroup of index at most two, or \(G\) is isomorphic to \(Z_3\times Z_3, Z_2\times Z_2\times Z_2\), the alternating group \(A_4\), or the binary tetrahedral group \(\tilde A_4\).