Infinite products of finite simple groups

We classify those sequences $\langle S_{n} \mid n \in \mathbb{N} \rangle$ of finite simple nonabelian groups such that the full product $\prod_{n} S_{n}$ has property (FA).Comment: AMS-LaTex file, 44 pages. To appear in Tran. Amer. Math. So

On base sizes for algebraic groups

Let $G$ be a permutation group on a set $\Omega$. A subset of $\Omega$ is a base for $G$ if its pointwise stabilizer is trivial; the base size of $G$ is the minimal cardinality of a base. In this paper we initiate the study of bases for algebraic groups defined over an algebraically closed field. In particular, we calculate the base size for all primitive actions of simple algebraic groups, obtaining the precise value in almost all cases. We also introduce and study two new base measures, which arise naturally in this setting. We give an application concerning the essential dimension of simple algebraic groups, and we establish several new results on base sizes for the corresponding finite groups of Lie type. The latter results are an important contribution to the classical study of bases for finite primitive permutation groups. We also indicate some connections with generic stabilizers for representations of simple algebraic groups.Comment: 62 pages; to appear in J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS

Biperfect Hopf Algebras

Recall that a finite group is called perfect if it does not have non-trivial 1-dimensional representations (over the field of complex numbers C). By analogy, let us say that a finite dimensional Hopf algebra H over C is perfect if any 1-dimensional H-module is trivial. Let us say that H is biperfect if both H and H^* are perfect. Note that, H is biperfect if and only if its quantum double D(H) is biperfect. It is not easy to construct a biperfect Hopf algebra of dimension >1. The goal of this note is to describe the simplest such example we know. The biperfect Hopf algebra H we construct is based on the Mathiew group of degree 24, and it is semisimple. Therefore, it yields a negative answer to Question 7.5 from a previous paper of the first two authors (math.QA/9905168). Namely, it shows that Corollary 7.4 from this paper stating that a triangular semisimple Hopf algebra over C has a non-trivial group-like element, fails in the quasitriangular case. The counterexample is the quantum double D(H).Comment: 5 pages, late

Embeddings of Sz(32) in E_8(5)

We show that the Suzuki group Sz(32) is a subgroup of E_8(5), and so is its automorphism group. Both are unique up to conjugacy in E_8(F) for any field F of characteristic 5, and the automorphism group Sz(32):5 is maximal in E_8(5)