In mathematical finite group theory, a group is said to be of characteristic 2 type or even type or of even characteristic if it resembles a group of Lie type over a field of characteristic 2.
In the classification of finite simple groups, there is a major division between group of characteristic 2 type, where involutions resemble unipotent elements, and other groups, where involutions resemble semisimple elements.
Groups of characteristic 2 type and rank at least 3 are classified by the trichotomy theorem.
Definitions
A group is said to be of even characteristic if
If this condition holds for all maximal 2-local subgroups M then G is said to be of characteristic 2 type. Gorenstein, Lyons & Solomon (1994, p.55) use a modified version of this called even type.