On the structure of finite groups isospectral to an alternating group. (Q643826)

Let~\(G\) be a finite group. The set \(\omega(G)=\{|g|\mid g\in G\}\) is called its spectrum. A finite group~\(H\) is called isospectral to the group~\(G\) if \(\omega(H)=\omega(G)\). Researchers are mostly interested in groups isospectral to finite simple groups. The group \(G\) is called recognizable (by spectrum) if any group isospectral to~\(G\) is isomorphic to~it. \textit{V. D. Mazurov} [Izv. Ural. Gos. Univ., Mat. Mekh. 7(36), 119-138 (2005; Zbl 1191.20019)] gave a survey of results on group recognizability. The following question is the second in the list of open problems in that survey: ``Is it true that the alternating group~\(A_n\) is recognizable for \(n>10\)?'' The aim of the present paper is to advance the proof of this conjecture. On the set~\(\pi(G)\) of all prime divisors of \(|G|\), the prime graph (the Gruenberg-Kegel graph) \(GK(G)\) is defined by assuming that any two distinct vertices~\(p\) and~\(q\) are adjacent if \(pq\in\omega(G)\). The properties of this graph define the recognizability of the group to a large extent. The alternating groups~\(A_n\) occupy a special place in the problem of recognizing simple groups by spectrum. The primary reason for that is the connectedness of the Gruenberg-Kegel graph of the group~\(A_n\) for all~\(n\) except \(4\), \(p\), \(p+1\), and~\(p+2\), where~\(p\) is a prime greater than~3. Moreover, the vertex~\(2\) is adjacent to all other vertices in the graph~\(GK(A_n)\) except for the same cases. If the Gruenberg-Kegel graph of the group~\(G\) is disconnected, then, by the Gruenberg-Kegel theorem, [see \textit{J. S. Williams}, J. Algebra 69, 487-513 (1981; Zbl 0471.20013)], either~\(G\) is isomorphic to a Frobenius group or to a double Frobenius group or~\(G\) contains a unique nonabelian composition factor, whose spectral properties are similar to those of the group~\(G\). The recognizability of simple alternating groups with disconnected Gruenberg-Kegel graph was proved in the papers of \textit{A. V. Zavarnitsin} and \textit{V. D. Mazurov} [Algebra Logika 38, No. 3, 296-315 (1999); translation in Algebra Logic 38, No. 3, 159-170 (1999; Zbl 0930.20003)], \textit{A. S. Kondrat'ev} and \textit{V. D. Mazurov} [Sib. Math. J. 41, No. 2, 294-302 (2000); translation from Sib. Mat. Zh. 41, No. 2, 359-369 (2000; Zbl 0956.20007)] and \textit{A. V. Zavarnitsin} [Algebra Logika 39, No. 6, 648-661 (2000); translation in Algebra Logic 39, No. 6, 370-377 (2000; Zbl 0979.20020)] with the help of the Gruenberg-Kegel theorem. A~coclique in a graph is a subset of the set of its vertices in which any two vertices are nonadjacent. If the cardinality of some coclique in the graph~\(GK(G)\) is at least~3 and the vertex~\(2\) is nonadjacent to at least one vertex of this graph, then, by \textit{A. V. Vasil'ev}'s theorem~[Sib. Mat. Zh. 46, No. 3, 511-522 (2005); translation in Sib. Math. J. 46, No. 3, 396-404 (2005; Zbl 1096.20019)], the group~\(G\) has a unique nonabelian composition factor with some additional spectral properties. However, the Gruenberg-Kegel theorem and Vasil'ev's theorem are not applicable for investigating the recognizability of the groups~\(A_n\) with connected Gruenberg-Kegel graph. It follows from the above-mentioned result of A. V. Zavarnitsin and V. D. Mazurov that a group isospectral to~\(A_n\) and containing a chief factor isomorphic to~\(A_n\) is itself isomorphic to~\(A_n\). The main result of the present paper states that every finite group isospectral to an alternating group~\(A_n\) of degree~\(n\) greater than \(21\) has a chief factor isomorphic to an alternating group~\(A_k\), where \(k\leq n\) and the half-interval \((k,n]\) contains no primes.