Powerful \(p\)-groups. I: Finite groups. (Q580490)

For any \(p\)-group \(X\), \(V_ i(X)\) denotes the subgroup of \(X\) generated by all \(p^ i\)-th powers of elements of \(X\). The \(p\)-group \(G\) is called powerful if \(G'\leq V_ 1(G)\) (or, for \(p=2\), \(G'\leq V_ 2(G)\)). For \(p\) odd, every subgroup of \(G\) is powerful if and only if every 2-generator subgroup is metacyclic, so this property is far from being inherited by subgroups, but it is shown that the terms of the lower central and derived series, the \(V_ i(G)\), the Frattini subgroup, etc. are all powerful subgroups of a powerful group. Further \(V_ i(G)\geq [V_{i-1}(G),G]\) and \(V_ i(V_ j(G))=V_{i+j}(G)\) if \(G\) is powerful. For \(p\) odd, \(G\) is powerful if and only if \(G\) is the product of \(d(G)\) cyclic groups. There exists a function \(f\) such that every \(p\)-group of (sectional) rank \(r\) possesses a verbal powerful subgroup of index at most \(p^{f(r)}\). This last fact is used to prove that the number of generators of the Schur multiplier of a \(p\)-group is bounded by a function of the rank. For a powerful \(p\)-group, the exponent of the Schur multiplier is bounded by that of the group. Some further results are concerned with the power structure of powerful groups and, for \(p\) odd, with the case of three generators. [For a review of Part II cf. Zbl 0626.20022 below.]