Embeddings of PGL₂(31) and SL₂(32) in E₈(C). With appendices by Michael Larsen and J. -P. Serre

DOI10.1215/S0012-7094-98-09409-1MaRDI QIDQ1974835zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Robert L. jun. Griess, Alex Ryba

Publication date 27 March 2000

Published in Duke Mathematical Journal (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1215/S0012-7094-98-09409-1

algebraic groups conjugacy classes embeddings finite simple groups finite simple subgroups liftings quasisimple algebraic groups

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Finite simple groups and their classification (20D05) Simple groups: alternating groups and groups of Lie type (20D06) Simple groups: sporadic groups (20D08) Subgroup theorems; subgroup growth (20E07) Simple groups (20E32) Conjugacy classes for groups (20E45) Representation theory for linear algebraic groups (20G05) Linear algebraic groups over the reals, the complexes, the quaternions (20G20) Linear algebraic groups over finite fields (20G40)

Review text

The authors extend work begun by the first author and \textit{A.~M.~Cohen} [Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 47, Pt. 2, 367-405 (1987; Zbl 0654.22005)] to classify the finite simple subgroups of \(E_8(\mathbb{C})\). They announce a program to classify embeddings of \(\text{PGL}_2(31)\), \(\text{SL}_2(32)\), \(\text{PSL}_2(31)\), \(\text{PSL}_2(41)\), \(\text{PSL}_2(49)\) and \(Sz(8)\) into \(E_8(\mathbb{C})\), and begin in the current paper with the first two cases. The authors show that \(E_8(\mathbb{C})\) has three conjugacy classes of \(\text{PGL}_2(31)\)-subgroups, which yield three nonconjugate embeddings of the latter group into the former. Two of these were previously obtained by \textit{J.-P.~Serre} [Invent. Math. 124, No. 1-3, 525-562 (1996; Zbl 0877.20033)], who in an appendix to the present paper points out that the authors' results imply that \(\text{PGL}_2(31)\) embeds into \(E_8(p)\) for every prime \(p\). The authors also show that \(E_8(\mathbb{C})\) has a single conjugacy class of \(\text{SL}_2(32)\)-subgroups, and Serre's appendix notes that this implies \(E_8(q)\) contains \(\text{SL}_2(32)\) if the prime power \(q\) is conjugate to \(\pm 1\) modulo 11. The authors use a computational approach, beginning with consideration of a finite group \(L\) and prime \(p\) that does not divide the order of \(L\). They show that the number of conjugacy classes of \(L\)-subgroups in a quasisimple algebraic group in characteristic 0 is bounded by the number of conjugacy classes of \(L\)-subgroups in a corresponding algebraic group in characteristic \(p\). (An appendix by M.~Larsen uses algebraic-geometric methods to show in fact that equality actually holds in general.) The authors use their preliminary results to classify embeddings of \(\text{PGL}_2(31)\) and then \(\text{PSL}_2(32)\) into \(E_8(\mathbb{C})\) by studying embeddings into algebraic groups of type \(E_8\) in specially chosen prime characteristics: respectively, 2791 and 4093. They systematically describe the associated computations representing the action of \(G=E_8(2791)\) on its 248-dimensional \(F_{2791}\)-module \(\mathcal E\), a Lie algebra of type \(E_8\). For example, in the first case they follow the procedure of \textit{R.~W.~Carter} [Simple groups of Lie type, Wiley, New York (1972; Zbl 0248.20015)] to obtain 16 generators of \(G\).

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