Maximal subgroups of finite exceptional groups

Publication date 8 September 1998

algebraic groups almost simple groups exceptional groups finite simple groups groups of Lie type maximal subgroups simple subgroups sporadic groups

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Simple groups: alternating groups and groups of Lie type (20D06) Maximal subgroups (20E28)

Review text

Since the announcement of the proof of the classification theorem for finite simple groups (CFSG) in 1980 a great deal of effort has been expended on trying to classify the maximal subgroups of the (almost) simple groups. For these purposes, we divide the (non-Abelian finite) simple groups into four classes: alternating, classical, exceptional and sporadic. In the alternating and classical cases there is no hope of ever writing down an explicit list of maximal subgroups: instead we have a result of \textit{M. W. Liebeck}, \textit{C. E. Praeger} and \textit{J. Saxl} [J. Algebra 111, 365-383 (1987; Zbl 0632.20011)]\ which says that the maximal subgroups of \(A_n\) or \(S_n\) are (essentially) (a) the `obvious' ones, and (b) all the primitive almost simple groups of degree \(n\), with a specific list of exceptions. There is some hope that a similar result may eventually be obtained for the classical groups. In the exceptional and sporadic groups, on the other hand, one should expect a complete explicit list of the maximal subgroups. This has been achieved for 25 of the 26 sporadic groups, and for 6 of the 10 families of exceptional groups. Assuming that Aschbacher's extensive work on \(E_6\) (not mentioned in the present paper) will yield complete lists of maximal subgroups for \(E_6(q)\) and \(^2E_6(q)\), this leaves just the sporadic `Monster' group, and the two exceptional families \(E_7(q)\) and \(E_8(q)\). The reader who expects from the title to find a clear statement of the current state of the art in the latter two cases will be disappointed. In all cases, the hard part is to classify the simple subgroups up to conjugacy. The first part of the present paper discusses the case where the subgroup is a group of Lie type in the same characteristic as the whole group (here somewhat misleadingly called the `generic' case). Here the theory of algebraic groups plays a role, though it is far from the whole story. The other cases are where the subgroup is (a) alternating, (b) sporadic, or (c) of Lie type over a field of a different characteristic -- the so-called `cross-characteristic' case. To date, these have only been classified up to isomorphism, and no real attempt has been made on the much harder problem of classifying them up to conjugacy. The methods in all three cases are much the same. The alternating case was handled by \textit{E. Malle} (unpublished), the sporadic case by \textit{P. B. Kleidman} and the reviewer [J. Algebra 157, No. 2, 316-330 (1993; Zbl 0794.20024)], and the cross-characteristic case by \textit{M. W. Liebeck} and the author (in preparation). Only the last of these is mentioned in the present paper, while giving the (false) impression that it includes the other two. It is worth mentioning also that this work uses heavily both the results and the methods of \textit{A. M. Cohen} and \textit{R. L. Griess} jun. in their investigations of finite simple subgroups of \(E_8(\mathbb{C})\) [Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 47, Pt. 2, 367-405 (1986; Zbl 0654.22005)]. The second part of the paper discusses in vague terms certain possible future directions in this work. It is difficult to get much out of this, as it is full of uninformative phrases such as `a more general result will be needed' and `[M]\ has a result in this direction'. It is a pity that this paper really only discusses the work of the author himself, and lists (in passing) only one reference to a paper of which he is not an author. A more general survey of this difficult area is sorely needed. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0883.00017].

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