Solvable subgroups in the division ring of real quaternions. (Q862234)

Let \(H\) be the division algebra of Hamiltonian quaternions, \(\mathbb{R}\) the centre of \(H\), and \(K^*\) the multiplicative group of any \(\mathbb{R}\)-subalgebra \(K\) of \(H\). The paper under review deals with the study of solvable subgroups of \(H^*\). It shows that if \(S\) is a group of this kind which possesses a noncentral Abelian normal subgroup \(A\), then \(S\) is Abelian or is contained in a maximal solvable subgroup of \(H^*\) (the existence of solvable subgroups of \(H^*\) is known due to \textit{M. Mahdavi-Hezavehi} [J. Algebra 241, No. 2, 720-730 (2001; Zbl 0984.16029)]). The authors prove that \(A\) exists, if \(S\) is nonabelian and \(\mathbb{R}^*\) contains the commutator subgroup \([S,S]\) of \(S\). They obtain that quaternion subgroups of \(H^*\) form there a unique conjugacy class, and also, that a nonabelian subgroup \(Q\subseteq H^*\) is quaternion if and only if \(Q\subseteq [H,H]\) and \([Q,Q]\subseteq\mathbb{R}^*\). Finally, the authors turn their attention to the case where \(S\subseteq H^*\) is noncentral solvable, \(\mathbb{R}^*\not\subset S\) and \(S\) does not possess noncentral Abelian normal subgroups. As shown, then the \(n\)-th commutator subgroup of \(S\) is quaternion, for some \(n\in\mathbb{N}\). In addition, it is proved that if \(S\) is finite, \(S\subseteq [H^*,H^*]\) and \([S,S]\) is quaternion, then \(S\) has some of the following properties: (i) \(S\) is a \(2\)-group; (ii) \(S=PT\), where \(P\) is a normal \(2\)-subgroup of \(S\), such that \(P\) or \([P,P]\) is quaternion, and \(T\) is a subgroup of \(S\) of odd order, \(T\subset L^*\), for some maximal subfield \(L\) of \(H\).