Components and realizability of fusion systems (Q7239390)

The paper under review concerns the realizability of saturated \(p\)-fusion systems by finite groups, with particular emphasis on the role of components. The introduction recalls that, for \(p\in\{2,3\}\), a saturated \(p\)-fusion system is realizable if and only if each of its components is realizable by a finite simple group, whereas this criterion fails for primes \(p\geq 5\).\N\NThe main result gives a replacement valid for all primes. If \(\mathcal{F}\) is a saturated fusion system with components \(\mathcal{C}_1,\ldots,\mathcal{C}_k\), then \(\mathcal{F}\) is realizable if and only if, for every \(i=1,\ldots,k\), there exists a realizable subnormal subsystem \(\mathcal{E}_i\) of \(\mathcal{F}\) such that \(\mathcal{C}_i=O^{p'}(\mathcal{E}_i)\). The proof uses a theorem of \textit{C.~Broto et al.} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 127, No. 6, 1816-1864 (2023; Zbl 1529.20029)] which asserts that a fusion system is realizable if it has a realizable normal subsystem containing all its components.\N\NThe authors also prove a maximality result for extensions of a fixed subnormal subsystem \(\mathcal{C}\) satisfying \(\mathcal{C}=O^{p'}(\mathcal{C})\): there is a unique largest subnormal subsystem \(\mathcal{E}\) of \(\mathcal{F}\) with \(O^{p'}(\mathcal{E})=\mathcal{C}\), and if one such subsystem is realizable, then this largest one is realizable as well. Finally, the authors construct examples showing that the subnormality hypothesis in the main theorem cannot simply be omitted: for each integer \(r\geq 1\) they obtain counterexamples with precisely \(r\) components.