Free actions of virtually FC-groups. (Q818733)

Let \(A\) be any group. The FC-centre \(\Delta(A)\) is the subgroup consisting of all elements of \(A\) having only finitely many conjugates, and \(A\) is an FC-group if \(\Delta(A)=A\). If \(A\) is a group of automorphisms of a group \(G\), we say that \(A\) acts freely on \(G\) if \(C_A(g)=\{1\}\) for all \(g\in G\setminus\{1\}\). In the paper under review the author obtains a generalization of a theorem of \textit{W. Kreft} on near-fields [Abh. Math. Semin. Univ. Hamb. 52, 99-103 (1982; Zbl 0494.16008)]. In fact, he proves that if \(G\) is an infinite group and \(A\) is a group of automorphisms acting freely on \(G\) such that \(A/\Delta(A)\) is finite and \(A\) has finitely many orbits in \(G\), then there exists a field \(E\) such that \(G\) is isomorphic to the additive group of \(E\), \(A/\Delta(A)\) is isomorphic to a group of field automorphisms of \(E\) and \(\Delta(A)\) is isomorphic to a subgroup of finite index of the multiplicative group of \(E\). As a consequence, it can be proved that any infinite near-field whose multiplicative group is a finite extension of an FC-group is actually a field.