Structure of an exotic \(2\)-local subgroup in \(E_7(q)\) (Q6908151)

Let \(G=E_7(q)\) be the finite simple group of adjoint type, where \(q\) is an odd prime power and let \(G^\sigma=\mathrm{Inndiag}(E_7(q))\) be the group of inner-diagonal automorphisms, with derived subgroup \(G^\sigma_0=E_7(q)\) of index \(2\). The paper studies the structure of the normalizer of a specific elementary abelian \(2\)-subgroup \(E\cong 2^2\) in \(G\) and in \(G^\sigma\), whose existence and uniqueness up to conjugacy were established by \textit{A.~M.~Cohen} et al.\ [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 64, No. 1, 21--48 (1992; Zbl 0706.20037)].\N\NThe main result is Theorem 1.1, which determines the structure of \(N_{G^\sigma_0}(E)\) in terms of the congruence class of \(q\) modulo \(8\). Under the assumptions that \(E\) is \(\sigma\)-invariant, that \(C_{G^\sigma}(E)=E\rtimes \mathrm{Inndiag}(D_4(q))\) and that \(N_{G^\sigma}(E)/C_{G^\sigma}(E)\cong \mathrm{Sym}_3\), it is shown that\N\[\NN_{G^\sigma_0}(E)= \begin{cases} C_{G^\sigma}(E):\mathrm{Sym}_3, & \text{if } q\equiv \pm1 \pmod{8},\\\NC_{G^\sigma}(E):3, & \text{if } q\equiv \pm3 \pmod{8}. \end{cases}\N\]\NIn particular, \(N_{G^\sigma_0}(E)=N_{G^\sigma}(E)\) if and only if \(q\equiv \pm1 \pmod{8}\). As a consequence, the paper clarifies the structure of these \(2\)-local subgroups in cases not covered correctly by previous classifications by \textit{J. An} and \textit{H. Dietrich} [J. Algebra 445, 503--536 (2016; Zbl 1335.20011)].