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Let $A$ be a frobenius complement for a group $G$ i.e. $A$ act on $G$ by automorphism s.t. $C_A(g)=e$ for all nonidentity $g$.

Now, Action of $A$ can be linearly extended so that $A$ act on $F[G]$. As a result we can see $F[G]$ as a $F[A]$ module. Let $\chi$ be corresponding character of $A$ then

$$\ \chi(g) = \begin{cases} |G| & \textrm{ if $g=e$ } \\ 1 & \textrm{ if $g\neq e$ } \\ \end{cases} \ $$ as one can easily compute.

Now, I am asking the converse of this situation; if $A$ has a character $\chi$ s.t.

$$\ \chi(g) = \begin{cases} n & \textrm{ if $g=e$ } \\ 1 & \textrm{ if $g\neq e$ } \\ \end{cases} \ $$

then can we say that $A$ is a frobenius complement for a group of order $n$ ?

Note: $F$ can be taken as $\mathbb C$ complex field and I have asked it there but it think it is suitable for here.

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  • $\begingroup$ @GeoffRobinson: oh, you are right. Thank you. $\endgroup$
    – mesel
    Commented Nov 24, 2014 at 18:04
  • $\begingroup$ Since this question appears to have been answered in comments, I'm going to vote to close. $\endgroup$
    – HJRW
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 9:33
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    $\begingroup$ @HJRW While this may have been quickly answered in comments I think the comment could have been left as an answer. (But then I'm biased as I've used MO to get help with questions which "everyone would learn in a graduate course on character theory") $\endgroup$
    – Yemon Choi
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 12:15
  • $\begingroup$ @YemonChoi, if Geoff wants to turn his comment into an answer, that would be even better. $\endgroup$
    – HJRW
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 13:46
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    $\begingroup$ @HJRW : I have turned it into an answer. I often leave comments of a fairly elementary nature as comments in preference to leaving formal answers. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 14:00

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As is so often the case, the answer is "not in general". Take $n=1+pq,$ where $p,q$ are primes with $q|p−1$. Let $A$ be a non-Abelian group of order $pq.$ Then $A$ is not a Frobenius complement, but $A$ does have a (complex) character which takes value $n$ on the identity and $1$ everywhere else. The character in question is the sum of the trivial character and the regular character.

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  • $\begingroup$ Geoff, my profound ignorance of this type of thing prompts the following questions: Is it conceivable that this is the only counter-example? Could one imagine a classification of characters of this form? Would such a classification be interesting?! $\endgroup$
    – Nick Gill
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 16:19
  • $\begingroup$ @Nick Gill : Any character of the form described into the question has to be the sum of the trivial character and a multiple of the regular character, so every finite group has many such characters, whereas the structure of Frobenius complements is rather restricted. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 16:26

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