All Questions
Tagged with characters finite-groups
77 questions
52
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Class function counting solutions of equation in finite group: when is it a virtual character?
Let $w=w(x_1,\dots,x_n)$ be a word in a free group of rank $n$. Let $G$ be a finite group. Then we may define a class function $f=f_w$ of $G$ by
$$ f_w(g) = |\{ (x_1,\dots, x_n)\in G^n\mid w(x_1,\dots,...
- 6,919
42
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Are there "real" vs. "quaternionic" conjugacy classes in finite groups?
The complex irreps of a finite group come in three types: self-dual by a
symmetric form, self-dual by a symplectic form, and not self-dual at all.
In the first two cases, the character is real-valued, ...
- 27.8k
37
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Is this generalized character always a character?
Let $G$ be a finite group, and $p$ be a prime. Then there is a generalized character $\Psi$ of $G$ which takes value $0$ on all elements of order divisible by $p$, and has $\Psi(y)$ equal to the ...
- 44.4k
21
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Groups of order $n$ with a character whose degree is at least $0.8\sqrt{n}$ (say)
[edited in response to some corrections by Geoff Robinson and F. Ladisch]
Throughout, all my groups are finite, and all my representations are over the complex numbers.
If $G$ is a group and $\chi$ ...
- 25.8k
21
votes
0
answers
473
views
Is there a "direct" proof of the Galois symmetry on centre of group algebra?
Let $G$ be a finite group, and $n$ an integer coprime to $|G|$. Then we have the following map, which is clearly not a morphism of groups in general: $$g\mapsto g^n.$$
This induces a linear ...
- 1,949
20
votes
3
answers
940
views
What did Frobenius prove about $M_{12}$?
I am interested in this paper which I can't read because it's in German:
Frobenius, G., Über die Charaktere der mehrfach transitiven Gruppen., Berl. Ber. 1904, 558-571 (1904). ZBL35.0154.02.
A free ...
- 11.2k
20
votes
2
answers
948
views
The finite groups with a zero entry in each column of its character table (except the first one)
$\DeclareMathOperator\PSL{PSL}\DeclareMathOperator\Aut{Aut}$Consider the class of finite groups $G$ having a zero entry in each column of its character table (except the first one), i.e. for all $g \...
17
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Explicit character tables of non-existent finite simple groups
In connection with the historical development of the classification of finite simple groups, I am interested in a particular aspect that seems to be less well-documented than the main narrative of ...
17
votes
2
answers
860
views
The sum (with multiplicity) of the cubes of irreducible character degrees of a finite group
Throughout $G$ is a finite, non-abelian group.
$\DeclareMathOperator\Irr{Irr}\DeclareMathOperator\AD{AD}\DeclareMathOperator\cp{cp}\newcommand\card[1]{\lvert#1\rvert}$
Let $\Irr(G)$ be the set of ...
- 25.8k
12
votes
2
answers
926
views
Finite groups with integral character table
The character table of a finite group will be called integral if all its entries are integers. There are $11$ such groups up to order $16$, namely $C_1$, $C_2$, $C_2^2$, $S_3$, $D_8$, $Q_8$, $C_2^3$, $...
12
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Connection between cyclic group and exponential function
I have been thinking about this for a while, but now got to the point where I got stuck. I don't know if it might be considered as a research level question, but I would be very happy if somebody knew ...
user6671
12
votes
1
answer
682
views
A sum over characters of the symmetric group
Let $C_\mu$ be the size of the conjugacy class in $S_n$ of permutations whose cycletype is the partition $\mu\vdash n$. Let $\chi$ be the characters of the irreducible representations of $S_n$.
Let $\...
- 1,549
11
votes
1
answer
218
views
A question about the adjoint of the Adams operations on representation rings
Let $G$ be a finite group, and $R(G)$ its representation ring over $\mathbb{C}$. We have the Adams operations $\psi^k:R(G)\rightarrow R(G)$, given on the level of characters by: $$\chi_{\psi^k{V}}(g)=\...
- 1,949
11
votes
1
answer
550
views
Probability of words summing to $1$ in $S_n$ or $\mathrm{PGL}_2(n)$
$\DeclareMathOperator\PGL{PGL}\DeclareMathOperator\Conj{Conj}$Let $G$ be the symmetric group $S_n$ or the projective general linear group $\PGL_2(n)$.
Let $X$ be a cyclically reduced word in the ...
- 9,501
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Character table entries and sums of roots of unity
It is well-known that the entries of the character table of a finite group are sums of roots of unity.
Question: Is the converse true? Explicitly, given $z\in \mathbb{Z}[\mu_\infty]$, can I find a ...
- 1,261
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Irreducible reps and characters of $G \rtimes A$
Is there a theorem which classifies irreducible representations of semi-direct product of finite groups $G \rtimes A$, where $A$ is a finite abelian group and hence write down the character table for $...
user35360
9
votes
2
answers
525
views
Characterization of the family of simple groups PSL(2,q) by tensor multiplicity
Let $G$ be a finite group and $(\chi_i)$ its irreducible characters. Then $\forall i,j,k, \exists!n_{i,j}^k \in \mathbb{N}_{\ge 0}$ such that $$\chi_i \chi_j = \sum_k n_{i,j}^k \chi_k.$$
Let the ...
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Beyond Brauer's theorem
Brauer's classic theorem states that any character of a finite group can be expressed as a linear combination with integer coefficients of characters induced by linear characters of p-elementary ...
- 17.6k
8
votes
2
answers
799
views
characters on a finite group with `extremal' behaviour
The following question is a bit technical, and I haven't got to grips with it enough to be able to present it as a well-focused question. However, my hope is that the collective group-theoretic ...
- 25.8k
8
votes
1
answer
392
views
Is a $G$-invariant character $\theta$ of $H$ extendible to $G$?
Let $G/H\cong PSL(2,11)$, and $\theta$ be an irreducible $\mathbb{C}$-character of $H$. Suppose $\theta$ is invariant in $G$ and $\theta(1)=9$.
Question: Is $\theta$ extendible to $G$?
- 577
8
votes
0
answers
190
views
Groups having exactly two non real-valued irreducible characters
This is an enlarged version of my question on MSE. It was suggested I ask here instead.
Suppose the finite group $G$ has exactly two conjugacy classes that are not self-inverse (a conjugacy class is ...
- 787
7
votes
2
answers
824
views
On finite groups with same complex-valued character table
What are the necessary and sufficient conditions for two finite groups $G$ and $H$
to have same complex-valued character table?
Is there any criterion for which one could know about the character ...
- 490
7
votes
2
answers
764
views
Proofs of a character identity?
Let $G$ be a finite group, $g \geq 0, k\geq 1 $ integers, and $(C_1,...,C_k)$ a tuple of conjugacy classes of $G$. I am interested in proofs of the following identity
$$
\sum_{(c_1,...,c_k) \in C_1 \...
- 5,349
7
votes
3
answers
990
views
The zero entries in the character table of a finite group
When you browse the character tables of the small finite groups (for example here), you can observe that every zero entry corresponds to the value of an irreducible character $\chi$ on a non-central ...
7
votes
1
answer
647
views
On the structure of a finite group of order $144$
Let $G$ be a finite group of order $144$. Suppose there is an irreducible $\mathbb{C}$-character $\theta$ such that $\theta(1)=9$.
QUESTION: Prove $G\cong A_4\times A_4$.
By using Magma, we know ...
- 577
7
votes
1
answer
322
views
Why is Nagao's theorem the "Module theoretic version of Brauer's second main theorem"?
Let $G$ be a finite group, $p\in\mathbb{P}$ a prime, $\mathbb{F}$ an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p$, and $D\leq G$ a $p$-subgroup.
Brauer second main theorem states
If $\chi\in ...
- 9,650
7
votes
1
answer
197
views
A class function defined using Frobenius-Schur indicators
Let ${\rm Irr}(G)$ be the set of complex irreducible characters of a finite group $G$. The Frobenius-Schur indicator of $\chi\in{\rm Irr}(G)$ is defined to be $\epsilon(\chi):=\frac{1}{|G|}\sum_{g\in ...
- 1,090
7
votes
0
answers
139
views
When is $\operatorname{Out}(G)$ isomorphic to the symmetries of the character table of $G$?
$\DeclareMathOperator\Out{Out}\DeclareMathOperator\CTS{CTS}$The outer automorphism group $\Out(G)$ of a finite group $G$ act on the character table by permuting columns (conjugacy classes) and rows (...
- 141
7
votes
0
answers
206
views
Rings that are $K_0$ of finite groups
Is there a simple characterisation of all rings which appear as $K_0$ of finite groups? By $K_0$ of a finite group $G$ I mean $K_0(\mathbb C[G])$ which in the same as a ring of virtual characters of ...
- 2,934
6
votes
1
answer
298
views
Is a finite group given by its character table if its Sylow subgroups are so?
As pointed out by Mikko Korhonen in this answer, Özdem Çelik proved (in 1976 here) that a finite group whose Sylow subgroups are cyclic (called a Z-group) is determined by its character table.
...
6
votes
1
answer
276
views
Reference request: an elementary result on characters of finite abelian groups
The referee of a paper I submitted to a journal asked me to include a reference of the following elementary result on characters of finite abelian groups:
Let $A$ be a finite abelian group of order $...
- 3,107
6
votes
0
answers
320
views
(CFSG-free) Finite simple groups whose character degrees square divide its order
Let $G$ be a finite group. It is well-known that for all irreducible complex character $\chi$ then $\deg(\chi)$ divides $\lvert G\rvert$. Motivated by some problems with modular tensor categories, we ...
5
votes
2
answers
348
views
$G\cong C_4\times A_5$ or $C_2\times C_2\times A_5$?
Let $G$ be a finite group of order $240$.
If $G\cong C_4\times A_5$ or $C_2\times C_2\times A_5$, then the all degrees of irreducible $\mathbb{C}$-characters of $G$ are
$
[1,1,1,1,~3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3, ~...
- 577
5
votes
1
answer
216
views
To whom is the internal characterization of $Q$-groups due?
A group is said to be a $Q$-group if the character of any complex representation is rational valued. A well-known internal characterization of $Q$-groups is the following:
$G$ is a $Q$-group if and ...
- 5,654
5
votes
1
answer
342
views
Product of all conjugacy classes
Related to this post of my coauthor Sebastien, I should also mention that one can also prove the following dual result:
For any finite group G, the following identity holds:
$$
\left(\prod_{j=0}^m \...
- 887
5
votes
0
answers
351
views
Adjoint identity on finite nilpotent groups
Let $G$ be a finite nilpotent group. Consider the following (adjoint) identity from [BuPa, Theorem 9.6]:
$$\left(\prod_{\chi \in \mathrm{Irr}(G)} \frac{\chi}{\chi(1)} \right)^2 =\frac{|Z(G)|}{|G|}\...
5
votes
0
answers
991
views
Character table of a group determines the set of commutators of the group
We write $[x,y]$ for the commutator $x^{-1}y^{-1}xy$ of $x$ and $y$ in a group $G$.
(A) Let $g \in G$ and fix $x \in G$. Show that $g$ is conjugate to $[x,y]$ for some $y \in G$ iff
$$\sum_{\chi \...
- 428
4
votes
1
answer
196
views
Generalization of $\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \prod_{i=1}^{n}\frac{2i-1}{2i}$ for a character $\chi:\mathbb{Z}/s \mathbb{Z} \rightarrow \mathbb{C}^*$
Playing with some infinite products I came up with this problem, that I'm not able to figure it out by myself. Moreover in the internet it doesn't seem to appear anywhere.
Maybe it is just an easy ...
- 1,343
4
votes
1
answer
518
views
Finite groups with the same character table *including* class types, and square-free order
There are non-isomorphic finite groups with the same (complex) character table, as $D_4$ and $Q_8$.
$$\scriptsize\begin{array}{c|c}
\text{class}&1&2A&2B&2C&4 \newline
\text{...
4
votes
1
answer
423
views
A global code for the character table of PSL(2,q)
We can easily get the character table of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,q)$ for some fixed small prime power $q$, we can just do (for example):
...
4
votes
1
answer
287
views
Character values of principal series representations of $GL_n(\mathbb{F}_q)$
Let $P_{\alpha}$ be the principal series representation of $GL_n(\mathbb{F}_q)$, where $\alpha = ( \alpha_1, \alpha_2, \cdots, \alpha_n)$ and $\alpha_i : \mathbb{F}_q^* \rightarrow \mathbb{C}^*$.
...
- 73
4
votes
0
answers
98
views
Is there a cohomological interpretation of the bilinear form arising from Clifford theory?
For this question all groups are finite, and representations are over $\mathbb{C}$. The setup is that we have $N$ a normal subgroup of $G$, with abelian quotient $A$, and an irrep $V$ of $N$ that is ...
- 1,949
4
votes
0
answers
227
views
Orbits of group representation over $\mathbb{F}_2$
Recently I have been considering a problem that has had me venture into some mathematical territory that is new to me, specifically group representations, words, and character theory. I would ...
- 161
4
votes
0
answers
153
views
Characters, centralizers and cosets
I am trying to understand/count the number of solutions of a number of equations in finite groups and came across the following class function:
$$ \theta_\chi(x) = \sum_{y\in G} |C_G(xy)y \cap C_G(x)| ...
4
votes
0
answers
348
views
Interplay between two definitions of the transfer homomorphism.
The transfer homomorphism can be defined in a couple of ways. For the purposes of this question, assume that all groups are finite.
Defintion 1. Let $1\leqslant K'\leqslant L \leqslant K\leqslant G$ ...
- 1,173
3
votes
2
answers
738
views
Rational Conjugacy Classes of Finite Groups
Suppose $G$ is a finite group and $A$ is the set of all character values of $G$. By character values, I mean entries of the character table of $G$. Let $\Gamma = \operatorname{Gal}({\mathbb{Q}(A)}/{\...
3
votes
2
answers
222
views
Equality of subsets of abelian groups
Let $G$ be a finite abelian group, $X$ and $Y$ be two non-empty subsets of $G$ of equal size. Suppose that for each irreducible character $\chi$ of $G$ we have $\sum_{x\in X}\chi(x)=\sum_{y\in Y}\chi(...
- 105
3
votes
2
answers
315
views
Character kernels in the lattice of subgroups of a finite abelian group
I am looking for any efforts that have been made to characterize the character kernels (equivalently, the subgroups yielding cyclic quotients) inside the lattice of subgroups of a finite abelian group....
- 2,851
3
votes
1
answer
321
views
Can we relate the character of the permutation representation of $G$ on the cosets $G/\langle g_i\rangle$ to the number of cycles of $g_i$?
Let $G$ be a finite group generated by permutations $g_1,\dots,g_s$ such that $g_1g_2\cdots g_s$ is the identity permutation.
The corresponding Hurwitz representation $V_{\text{Hur}}$ has character $$\...
- 175
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Conditions for a solvable group to have a non-trivial center
I am working on a problem in character theory where I try to bound the derived length of a solvable group using information about its characters. In my specific case, it will be extremely helpful for ...
- 415