Subgroups of finite index and the just infinite property. (Q618245)

An infinite, topological group is said to be just infinite if every non-trivial normal, closed subgroup has finite index, and hereditarily just infinite if every open subgroup of it, including the group itself, is just infinite. The main result of the paper under review states the following. Let \(G\) be a group, which is either profinite, or discrete and residually finite. (In the second case, all subgroups are thus open and closed.) Suppose \(G\) is just infinite, and not Abelian-by-finite. The following conditions are equivalent for a non-trivial, closed normal subgroup of \(G\): (1) \(H\) is just infinite; (2) every subgroup of \(G\) which contains \(H\) is just infinite; (3) every maximal subgroup of \(G\) which contains \(H\) is just infinite. -- As a consequence, \(G\) is hereditarily just infinite if and only if every maximal, closed subgroup of finite index is just infinite.