Local definitions of local homomorphs and formations of finite groups

Abstract

It is well known that every local formation of finite soluble groups possesses three distinguished local definitions consisting of finite soluble groups: the minimal one, the full and integrated one, and the maximal one. As far as the first and the second of these are concerned, this statement remains true in the context of arbitrary finite groups. Doerk, Šemetkov, and Schmid have posed the problem of whether every local formation of finite groups has a distinguished (that is, unique) maximal local definition. In this paper a description of local formations with a unique maximal local definition is given, from which counter-examples emerge. Furthermore, a criterion for a formation function to be a local definition of a given local formation is obtained.