Prüfer rank
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In mathematics, especially in the area of algebra known as group theory, the Prüfer rank of a pro-p group measures the size of a group in terms of the ranks of its elementary abelian sections.[1] The rank is well behaved and helps to define analytic pro-p-groups. The term is named after Heinz Prüfer.
Definition
The Prüfer rank of pro-p-group is
where is the rank of the abelian group
- ,
where is the Frattini subgroup of .
As the Frattini subgroup of can be thought of as the group of non-generating elements of , it can be seen that will be equal to the size of any minimal generating set of .
Properties
Those profinite groups with finite Prüfer rank are more amenable to analysis.
Specifically in the case of finitely generated pro-p groups, having finite Prüfer rank is equivalent to having an open normal subgroup that is powerful. In turn these are precisely the class of pro-p groups that are p-adic analytic – that is groups that can be imbued with a p-adic manifold structure.