For a fixed parabolic subalgebra 𝔭 of we prove that the centre of the principal block 𝒪0𝔭 of the parabolic category 𝒪 is naturally isomorphic to the cohomology ring H*(ℬ𝔭) of the corresponding Springer fibre. We give a diagrammatic description of 𝒪0𝔭 for maximal parabolic 𝔭 and give an explicit isomorphism to Braden’s description of the category PervB(G(k,n)) of Schubert-constructible perverse sheaves on Grassmannians. As a consequence Khovanov’s algebra ℋn is realised as the endomorphism ring of some object from PervB(G(n,n)) which corresponds under localisation and the Riemann–Hilbert correspondence to a full projective–injective module in the corresponding category 𝒪0𝔭. From there one can deduce that Khovanov’s tangle invariants are obtained from the more general functorial invariants in [C. Stroppel, Categorification of the Temperley Lieb category, tangles, and cobordisms via projective functors, Duke Math. J. 126(3) (2005), 547–596] by restriction.

Let G be a group. A subset N of G is a set of pairwise noncommuting elements if xy⁄=yx for any two distinct elements x and y in N. If ∣N∣≥∣M∣ for any other set of pairwise noncommuting elements M in G, then N is said to be a maximal subset of pairwise noncommuting elements. In this paper we determine the cardinality of a maximal subset of pairwise noncommuting elements in a three-dimensional general linear group. Moreover, we show how to modify a given maximal subset of pairwise noncommuting elements into another maximal subset of pairwise noncommuting elements that contains a given ‘generating element’ from each maximal torus.

Let G be a group and let CAutΦ(G)(Z(Φ(G))) be the set of all automorphisms of G centralizing G/Φ(G) and Z(Φ(G)). For each prime p and finite p-group G, we prove that CAutΦ(G)(Z(Φ(G)))≤Inn(G) if and only if G is elementary abelian or Φ(G)=Z(G) and Z(G) is cyclic.

We extend the group theoretic notions of transfer and stable elements to graded centres of triangulated categories. When applied to the centre Z*(Db(B) of the derived bounded category of a block algebra B we show that the block cohomology H*(B) is isomorphic to a quotient of a certain subalgebra of stable elements of Z*(Db(B)) by some nilpotent ideal, and that a quotient of Z*(Db(B)) by some nilpotent ideal is Noetherian over H*(B).

A subgroup A of a group G has the strong cover-avoidance property in G, or A is a strong CAP-subgroup of G, if A either covers or avoids every chief factor of every subgroup of G containing A. The main aim of the present paper is to analyse the impact of the strong cover and avoidance property of the members of some relevant families of subgroups on the structure of a group.

We show that if G is any p-group of class at most two and exponent p, then there exist groups G1 and G2 of class two and exponent p that contain G, neither of which can be expressed as a central product, and with G1 capable and G2 not capable. We provide upper bounds for rank(Giab) in terms of rank(Gab) in each case.

A group G satisfies the second Engel condition [X,Y,Y ]=1 if and only if x commutes with xy, for all x,y∈G. This paper considers the generalization of this condition to groups G such that, for fixed positive integers r and s, xr commutes with (xs)y for all x,y∈G. Various general bounds are proved for the structure of groups in the corresponding variety, defined by the law [Xr,(Xs)Y]=1.

In this paper we determine the group of endotrivial modules for certain symmetric and alternating groups in characteristic p. If p = 2, then the group is generated by the class of Ωn(k) except in a few low degrees. If p > 2, then the group is only determined for degrees less than p2. In these cases we show that there are several Young modules which are endotrivial.

We analyse Hecke pairs (G,H) and the associated Hecke algebra when G is a semi-direct product N ⋊ Q and H = M ⋊ R for subgroups M ⊂ N and R ⊂ Q with M normal in N. Our main result shows that, when (G,H) coincides with its Schlichting completion and R is normal in Q, the closure of in C*(G) is Morita–Rieffel equivalent to a crossed product I⋊βQ/R, where I is a certain ideal in the fixed-point algebra C*(N)R. Several concrete examples are given illustrating and applying our techniques, including some involving subgroups of GL(2,K) acting on K2, where K = ℚ or K = ℤ[p−1]. In particular we look at the ax + b group of a quadratic extension of K.

In this article we show that finite loops with nilpotent inner mapping groups are centrally nilpotent.

A complete Sylow sequence, 𝒫=P1,…,Pm, of a finite group G is a sequence of m Sylow pi-subgroups of G, one for each pi, where p1,…,pm are all of the distinct prime divisors of |G|. A product of the form P1⋯Pm is called a complete Sylow product of G. We prove that the solvable radical of G equals the intersection of all complete Sylow products of G if, for every composition factor S of G, and for every ordering of the prime divisors of |S|, there exist a complete Sylow sequence 𝒫 of S, and g∈S such that g is uniquely factorizable in 𝒫 . This generalizes our results in Kaplan and Levy [‘The solvable radical of Sylow factorizable groups’, Arch. Math.85(6) (2005), 490–496].

A cover of a group is a finite collection of proper subgroups whose union is the whole group. A cover is minimal if no cover of the group has fewer members. It is conjectured that a group with a minimal cover of nilpotent subgroups is soluble. It is shown that a minimal counterexample to this conjecture is almost simple and that none of a range of almost simple groups are counterexamples to the conjecture.

We make several conjectures, and prove some results, pertaining to conjugacy classes of a given size in finite groups, especially in p-groups and 2-groups.

Let G be isomorphic to a group H satisfying SL(d,q)≤H≤GL(d,q) and let W be an irreducible FqG-module of dimension at most d2. We present a Las Vegas polynomial-time algorithm which takes as input W and constructs a d-dimensional projective representation of G.

Let α be a formation of finite groups which is closed under subgroups and group extensions and which contains the formation of solvable groups. Let G be any finite group. We state and prove equivalences between conditions on chief factors of G and structural characterizations of the α-residual and theα-radical of G. We also discuss the connection of our results to the generalized Fitting subgroup of G.

Let G bea p-group of maximal class of order pn. It isshown that the order of the group of all automorphisms of G centralizing the Frattini quotient takes the maximum value p2n−4 if and only if G is metabelian. A structure theorem is proved for the Sylow p-subgroup, Autp(G), of the automorphism group of G when G is metabelian. For p=2, Aut2(G) is the full automorphism group of G. For p=3, we prove a structure theorem for the full automorphism group of G.

We give a formula for the character of the representation of the symmetric group Sn on each isotypic component of the cohomology of the set of regular elements of a maximal torus of SLn, with respect to the action of the centre.

Let G be a finite group, K a field, and V a finite-dimensional K G-module. Write L(V) for the free Lie algebra on V; similarly, let M ( V) be the free metabelian Lie algebra. The action of G extends naturally to these algebras, so they become KG-modules, which are direct sums of finite-dimensional submodules. This paper explores whether indecomposable direct summands of such a KG-module (for some specific choices of G, K and V) must fall into finitely many isomorphism classes. Of course this is not a question unless there exist infinitely many isomorphism classes of indecomposable KG-modules (that is, K has positive characteristic p and the Sylow p-subgroups of G are non-cyclic) and dim V > 1.

The first two results show that the answer is positive for M(V) when K is finite and dim V = 2, but negative when G is the Klein four-group, the characteristic of K is 2, and V is the unique 3-dimnsional submodule of the regular module D. In the third result, G is again the Klein four-group, K is any field of charateristic 2 with more than 2 elements, V is any faithfull module of dimension 2, and B is the unique 3-dimensional quotient of D; the answer is positive for L(V) if and only if it is positive for each of L(B), L(D), and L(V ⊗ V).

In this paper we investigate non-central elements of the Iwahori-Hecke algebra of the symmetric group whose squares are central. In particular, we describe a commutative subalgebra generated by certain non-central square roots of central elements, and the generic existence of a rank-three submodule of the Hecke algebra contained in the square root of the centre, but not in the centre. The generators for this commutative subalgebra include the longest word and elements related to trivial and sign characters of the Hecke algebra. We find elegant expressions for the squares of such generators in terms of both the minimal basis of the centre and the elementary symmetric functions of Murphy elements.

We derive the spectrum of the Laplace–Beltrami operator on the quotient orbifold of the nonhyperbolic triangle groups.