On groups with the same type as large Ree groups (Q6558345)

Let \(G\) and \(H\) be finite groups and let \(\operatorname{nse}(G)\) be the set of the number of elements with the same order in \(G\). A problem posed by J. Thompson (see Problem 12.37 in [\textit{V. D. Mazurov} (ed.) and \textit{E. I. Khukhro} (ed.), The Kourovka notebook. Unsolved problems in group theory. Novosibirsk: Institute of Mathematics. Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Division (1995; Zbl 0838.20001)]) asks whether in the case where \(G\) is solvable and \(\operatorname{nse}(G)=\operatorname{nse}(H)\) it follows that \(H\) is necessarily solvable. (The reviewer points out that hypothesis \(|G|=|H|\) is superfluous because \(|G|=\sum_{n \in \operatorname{nse}(G)}n\).) The answer to Thompson's problem is negative: \textit{P. Piwek} [``Solvable and non-solvable finite groups of the same order type'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2403.02197}] built a solvable group \(G\) and a non solvable group \(H\) with \(|G|=|H|=2^{365} \cdot 3^{105} \cdot 7^{104}\) such that \(\operatorname{nse}(G)=\operatorname{nse}(H)\).\N\NThompson's problem can be generalized in several directions. In particular, if \(G\) is simple and \(H\) is such that \(\operatorname{nse}(G)=\operatorname{nse}(H)\) one can ask whether \(G \simeq H\). The main result of the paper under review (see Theorem 1.1) provides an affirmative answer to this question in the case where \(G \simeq \,^{2\!}F_{4}(q)\), \(q=2^{2m+1}\) \Nand \(q^{2} +\sqrt{2q^{3}} + q + \sqrt{2q} + 1\) or \(q^{2} -\sqrt{2q^{3}} + q - \sqrt{2q} + 1\) is prime.