Counterexamples to a conjecture of M. Pellegrini and P. Shumyatsky
\textit{M. A. Pellegrini} and \textit{P. Shumyatsky} [Arch. Math. 99, 501--507 (2012; Zbl 1294.20015)] proved that each coset of the centralizer of an involution in \(PSL(2, q)\) contains an element of odd order and stated the following conjecture. Let \(T\) be a Sylow \(2\)-subgroup of a finite group \(G\) and \(t\) an involution in \(\mathbf{Z}(T)\). Then, each coset of the centralizer \(\mathbf{C}_G (t)\) contains an element of odd order. Dealing with finite simple groups, they proposed the following generalization: each coset of the centralizer of an involution in a finite simple group \(G\) contains an element of odd order, unless \(G = PSL(n, 2)\) with \(n \geq 4\).\N\NAs shown in the present work, the last conjecture turned out to be false. In fact, Rijubrata Kundu and Sumit Chandra Mishra proved the following result concerning alternating groups. Let \(x = (1, 2)(3, 4) \cdots (4n - 1, 4n)\) and \(y = (1, 4n + 1)(2 ,4n + 2) \cdots (4n ,8n)\) be elements of the alternating group \(A_{8n}\). Then, each element in the coset \(yC_{A_{8n}} (x)\) is a product of disjoint cycles, each of even length. In particular, each element in the coset \(yC_{A_{8n}}(x)\) has even order.\N\NIn the second part of the paper, the authors recalled a question posed by \textit{G. Zappa} [Arch. Math. 13, Festschrift Reinhold Baer, 169--173 (1962; Zbl 0105.25502)]. Let \(G\) be a finite group and \(P\) be a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup of \(G\). Can a non-trivial coset \(g P\) contain only elements whose orders are powers of \(p\)? And in that case, can at least one element of \(g P\) have order \(p\)?\N\NThe authors showed two (partial) results in this direction. First of all, if \(p\) is an odd prime and \(n\) is such that \(p \leq n \leq 2 p - 1\), then for any Sylow \(p\)-subgroup \(P\) of the alternating group \(A_n\), there does not exist a non-trivial coset of \(P\) consisting entirely of \(p\)-cycles. Next, they proved that if \(p\) is an odd prime and \(P\) is a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup of \(A_{2 p}\), then every non-trivial coset of \(P\) contains an element whose order is not equal to \(p\).
scientific article; zbMATH DE number 7941100