Automorphism of prime order of solvable groups whose subgroups of fixed points are nilpotent (Q794763)

Let G be a finite soluble group, p be a prime not dividing \(| G|\), and w be an automorphism of G of order p. Various results are known which relate the structure of G to that of the group \(G_ w\) of fixed points of w in G. For example if \(G_ w\) is nilpotent then G has Fitting length at most 3 (Kurzweil) and if \(G_ w\) is abelian then the Fitting length of G is at most 2 (Feldman). For references see the paper. These results are unified and extended by the following theorem proved in the paper under review. Both of them follow easily from it. Theorem 1. Let G, p, w be as above and assume that \(G_ w\) is nilpotent. Let t be a prime divisor of \(| G|\) and T be a w-invariant Sylow t-subgroup of G. If \(F(G)\cap T_ w\leq Z(T_ w)\) then \(F(G)T\triangleleft G.\) Here F( ) and Z( ) denote the Fitting subgroup and centre, respectively. It is shown further (Theorem 2) that with the hypothesis of Theorem 1, that is, the situation considered by Kurzweil, [G,w] has Fitting length at most 2 unless p is a Fermat prime, though its Fitting length can be 3 in general.