From the Cherlin-Zilber Conjecture via sharply $2$-transitive groups to the Burnside problem

Abstract

We review the current state of the Cherlin-Zilber Algebraicity Conjecture on simple groups of finite Morley rank, which states that every such group is the group of $K$-rational points of an algebraic group for some algebraically closed field $K$. We will explain the relevance of sharply 2-transitive groups as a potential source of counterexamples and how the Burnside problem necessarily comes into the picture.

prepared for the Proceedings of the ICM 2026