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A complete classification of the multivalued coset groups of order $3$ is given. The proof is based on the classification of rank $3$ groups having regular normal subgroups.

A rank 3 graph is an orbital graph of a rank 3 permutation group of even order. Despite the classification of rank 3 graphs being complete, see, e.g., Chapter 11 of the recent monograph 'Strongly regular graphs' by Brouwer and Van Maldeghem, the full automorphism groups of these graphs (equivalently, the 2-closures of rank 3 groups) have not been explicitly described, though a lot of information on this subject is available. In the present note, we address this problem for the affine rank 3 graphs. We find the automorphism groups for finitely many relatively small graphs and show that modulo known results, this provides the full description of the automorphism groups of the affine rank 3 graphs, thus reducing the general problem to the case when the socle of the automorphism group is nonabelian simple.

Given a permutation group $G$ on a finite set $\Omega$, let $G^{(k)}$ denote the $k$-closure of $G$, that is, the largest permutation group on $\Omega$ having the same orbits in the induced action on $\Omega^k$ as $G$. Recall that a group is $\mathrm{Alt}(d)$-free if it does not contain a section isomorphic to the alternating group of degree $d$. Motivated by some problems in computational group theory, we prove that the $k$-closure of an $\mathrm{Alt}(d)$-free group is again $\mathrm{Alt}(d)$-free for $k \geq 4$ and $d \geq 25$., Comment: 20 pages

Given a set of primes $\pi$, the $\pi$-index of an element $x$ of a finite group $G$ is the $\pi$-part of the index of the centralizer of $x$ in $G$. If $\pi=\{p\}$ is a singleton, we just say the $p$-index. If the $\pi$-index of $x$ is equal to $p_1^{k_1}\ldots p^{k_s}$, where $p_1,\ldots,p_s$ are distinct primes, then we set $\exp_\pi(x)=k_1+\ldots+k_s$. In this short note, we study how the number $\epsilon_\pi(G)=\max\{\epsilon_\pi(x):x\in G\}$ restricts the structure of the factor group $G/Z(G)$ of $G$ by its center. First, for a finite group $G$, we prove that $\phi_p(G/Z(G))\leq\epsilon_p(G)$, where $\phi_p(G/Z(G))$ is the Frattini length of a Sylow $p$-subgroup of $G/Z(G)$. Second, for a $\pi$-separable finite group $G$, we prove that $l_\pi(G/Z(G))\leq\epsilon_\pi(G)$, where $l_{\pi}(G/Z(G))$ is the $\pi$-length of $G/Z(G)$.

The spectrum of a group is the set of orders of its elements. Finite groups with the same spectra as the direct squares of the finite simple groups with abelian Sylow 2-subgroups are considered. It is proved that the direct square $J_1\times J_1$ of the sporadic Janko group $J_1$ and the direct squares ${^2}G_2(q)\times{^2}G_2(q)$ of the simple small Ree groups ${^2}G_2(q)$ are uniquely characterized by their spectra in the class of finite groups, while for the direct square $PSL_2(q)\times PSL_2(q)$ of a 2-dimensional simple linear group $PSL_2(q)$, there are always infinitely many groups (even solvable groups) with the same spectra.

Let $m\ge 3$ be an integer. It is proved that the $m$-closure of a given solvable permutation group of degree $n$ can be constructed in time $n^{O(m)}$., Comment: 7 pages

The question on connection between the structure of a finite group $G$ and the properties of the indices of elements of $G$ has been a popular research topic for many years. The $p$-index $|x^G|_p$ of an element $x$ of a group $G$ is the $p$-part of its index $|x^G|=|G:C_G(x)|$. The presented short note describes some new results and open problems in this direction, united by the concept of the $p$-index of a group element.

Let $\mathfrak{X}$ be a class of finite groups closed under subgroups, homomorphic images, and extensions. We study the question which goes back to the lectures of H. Wielandt in 1963-64: For a given $\mathfrak{X}$-subgroup $K$ and maximal $\mathfrak{X}$-subgroup $H$, is it possible to see embeddability of $K$ in $H$ (up to conjugacy) by their projections onto the factors of a fixed subnormal series. On the one hand, we construct examples where $K$ has the same projections as some subgroup of $H$ but is not conjugate to any subgroup of $H$. On the other hand, we prove that if $K$ normalizes the projections of a subgroup $H$, then $K$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $H$ even in the more general case when $H$ is a submaximal $\mathfrak{X}$-subgroup.

We refer to $d(G)$ as the minimal cardinality of a generating set of a finite group $G$, and say that $G$ is $d$-generated if $d(G)\leq d$. A transitive permutation group $G$ is called $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive if a point stabilizer $G_\alpha$ is nontrivial and its orbits distinct from $\{\alpha\}$ are of the same size. We prove that $d(G)\leq4$ for every primitive $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive permutation group $G$, moreover, $G$ is $2$-generated except for the very particular solvable affine groups that we completely describe. In particular, all finite $2$-transitive and $2$-homogeneous groups are $2$-generated. We also show that every finite group whose abelian subgroups are cyclic is $2$-generated, and so is every Frobenius complement.

A Cayley graph over a group $G$ is said to be central if its connection set is a normal subset of $G$. We prove that every central Cayley graph over a simple group $G$ has at most two pairwise nonequivalent Cayley representations over $G$ associated with the subgroups of $Sym(G)$ induced by left and right multiplications of $G$. We also provide an algorithm which, given a central Cayley graph $\Gamma$ over an almost simple group $G$ whose socle is of a bounded index, finds the full set of pairwise nonequivalent Cayley representations of $\Gamma$ over $G$ in time polynomial in size of $G$., Comment: 10 pages

The spectrum of a finite group is the set of element orders of this group. The main goal of this paper is to survey results concerning recognition of finite simple groups by spectrum, in particular, to list all finite simple groups for which the recognition problem is solved., Comment: Numbering of theorems, lemmas and other assertions has been changed to match that of the version published in Commun. Math. Stat

We say that finite groups are isospectral if they have the same sets of orders of elements. It is known that every nonsolvable finite group $G$ isospectral to a finite simple group has a unique nonabelian composition factor, that is, the quotient of $G$ by the solvable radical of $G$ is an almost simple group. The main goal of this paper is prove that this almost simple group is a cyclic extension of its socle. To this end, we consider a general situation when $G$ is an arbitrary group with unique nonabelian composition factor, not necessarily isospectral to a simple group, and study the prime graph of $G$, where the prime graph of $G$ is the graph whose vertices are the prime numbers dividing the order of $G$ and two such numbers $r$ and $s$ are adjacent if and only if $r\neq s$ and $G$ has an element of order $rs$. Namely, we establish some sufficient conditions for the prime graph of such a group to have a vertex adjacent to all other vertices. Besides proving the main result, this allows us to refine a recent result by P. Cameron and N. Maslova concerning finite groups almost recognizable by prime graph.

We refer to the set of the orders of elements of a finite group as its spectrum and say that groups are isospectral if their spectra coincide. We prove that with the only specific exception the solvable radical of a nonsolvable finite group isospectral to a finite simple group is nilpotent., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1806.07045

The spectrum $\omega(G)$ of a finite group $G$ is the set of orders of elements of $G$. We present a polynomial-time algorithm that, given a finite set $\mathcal M$ of positive integers, outputs either an empty set or a finite simple group $G$. In the former case, there is no finite simple group $H$ with $\mathcal{M}=\omega(H)$, while in the latter case, $\mathcal{M}\subseteq\omega(G)$ and $\mathcal{M}\neq\omega(H)$ for all finite simple groups $H$ with $\omega(H)\neq\omega(G)$.

Let $G$ be a permutation group on a finite set $\Omega$. The $k$-closure $G^{(k)}$ of the group $G$ is the largest subgroup of $\operatorname{Sym}(\Omega)$ having the same orbits as $G$ on the $k$-th Cartesian power $\Omega^k$ of $\Omega$. A group $G$ is called $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive if its transitive and the orbits of a point stabilizer $G_\alpha$ on the set $\Omega\setminus\{\alpha\}$ are of the same size greater than one. We prove that the $2$-closure $G^{(2)}$ of a $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive permutation group $G$ can be found in polynomial time in size of $\Omega$. In addition, if the group $G$ is not $2$-transitive, then for every positive integer $k$ its $k$-closure can be found within the same time. Applying the result, we prove the existence of a polynomial-time algorithm for solving the isomorphism problem for schurian $\frac{3}{2}$-homogeneous coherent configurations, that is the configurations naturally associated with $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive groups.

Our result contains as special cases the Frobenius theorem (1895) on the number of solutions to the equation $x^n=1$ in a group, the Solomon theorem (1969) on the number of solutions in a group to a system of equations having fewer equations than unknowns, and the Iwasaki theorem (1985) on roots of subgroups. There are other curious corollaries on groups and rings., Comment: 9 pages. A Russian version of this paper is at http://halgebra.math.msu.su/staff/klyachko/papers.htm . V2: misprints corrected, an acknowledgement added. V3: misprints corrected

"Kourovka notebook" contains the question due to L.G. Kov\`acs (Problem 8.23): If the dihedral group $D$ of order 18 is a section of a direct product $X\times Y$, must at least one of $X$ and $Y$ have a section isomorphic to $D$? The goal of our short paper is to give the positive answer to this question provided that $X$ and $Y$ are locally finite. In fact, we prove even more: If a non-trivial semidirect product $D=A\rtimes B$ of a cyclic $p$-group $A$ and a group $B$ of order $q$, where $p$ and $q$ are distinct primes, lies in a locally finite variety generated by a set $\mathfrak{X}$ of groups, then $D$ is a section of a group from $\mathfrak{X}$.

Finite groups are said to be isospectral if they have the same sets of element orders. A finite nonabelian simple group $L$ is said to be almost recognizable by spectrum if every finite group isospectral to $L$ is an almost simple group with socle isomorphic to $L$. It is known that all finite simple sporadic, alternating and exceptional groups of Lie type, except $J_2$, $A_6$, $A_{10}$ and $^3D_4(2)$, are almost recognizable by spectrum. The present paper is the final step in the proof of the following conjecture due to V.D. Mazurov: there exists a positive integer $d_0$ such that every finite simple classical group of dimension larger than $d_0$ is almost recognizable by spectrum. Namely, we prove that a nonabelian composition factor of a~finite group isospectral to a finite simple symplectic or orthogonal group $L$ of dimension at least 10, is either isomorphic to $L$ or not a group of Lie type in the same characteristic as $L$, and combining this result with earlier work, we deduce that Mazurov's conjecture holds with $d_0=60$., Comment: 13 pages

The spectrum of a finite group is the set of its elements orders. Groups are said to be isospectral if their spectra coincide. For every finite simple exceptional group $L=E_7(q)$, we prove that each finite group isospectral to $L$ is isomorphic to a group $G$ squeezed between $L$ and its automorphism group, that is $L\leq G\leq \operatorname{Aut}L$; in particular, up-to isomorphism, there are only finitely many such groups. This assertion, together with a series of previously obtained results, implies that the same is true for every finite simple exceptional group except the group ${}^3D_4(2)$., Comment: minor changes, Tables 2 and 3 are fixed

The c-dimension of a group G is the maximal length of a chain of nested centralizers in G. We prove that a locally finite group of finite c-dimension k has less than 5k nonabelian composition factors., Comment: 4 pages