Realising fusion systems. (Q997835)

A fusion system on a \(p\)-group \(S\) is a category \(\mathcal F\) whose objects are the subgroups of \(S\), and whose morphisms are injective group homomorphisms satisfying the following axioms. (1) For any \(s\in S\), and any \(P,Q\leq S\) such that \(s^{-1}Ps\leq Q\), the map \(P\to Q\), \(u\mapsto s^{-1}us\) is in \(\mathcal F\). (2) If \(f\colon P\to Q\) is in \(\mathcal F\), and \(R:=f(P)\), then \(f\colon P\to R\) and \(f^{-1}\colon R\to P\) are also in \(\mathcal F\). A discrete group \(G\) containing \(S\) in which every \(p\)-subgroup is conjugate to a subgroup of \(S\) gives rise to a fusion system \(\mathcal F_S(G)\) on \(S\). One says that \(G\) realizes \(\mathcal F\) if \(\mathcal F_S(G)=\mathcal F\). There are fusion systems that cannot be realized by a finite group. In this paper the authors prove that every fusion system on any \(p\)-group \(S\) is realized by some discrete group \(G\) containing \(S\) in which every maximal \(p\)-subgroup is conjugate to a subgroup of \(S\). The groups \(G\) are constructed as graphs of finite groups.