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2 votes
0 answers
168 views

Centralizer of PSL in PGL and of SL in GL: reference request

$\DeclareMathOperator\GL{GL}\DeclareMathOperator\SL{SL}\DeclareMathOperator\PGL{PGL}\DeclareMathOperator\PSL{PSL}$Consider the general linear group $\GL(n,q)$ over a finite field with $q$ elements and ...
7 votes
2 answers
330 views

Representations of $\operatorname{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z}_3)$

Let $V$ be a $2g$-dimensional vector space over $\mathbb{Z}_3 := \mathbb{Z}/3\mathbb{Z}$. First, $\operatorname{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z}_3)$ acts on $\Lambda^2(V)$, and this decomposition is reducible, as ...
5 votes
1 answer
603 views

Aschbacher classes and $\mathbb{F}_p$-subspace stabilizers in classical linear groups

I am reading the Kleidman–Liebeck book ("The subgroup structure of the finite classical groups") which is about the Aschbacher classification of maximal subgroups of the classical almost ...
6 votes
1 answer
368 views

Number of points on a linear algebraic group over a finite field

Let $G$ be a linear algebraic group defined over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$ as a variety of dimension $d$. What would be a good, simple lower bound for $G(F_q)$? One can get something fairly nice ...
0 votes
0 answers
172 views

A characterisation of full subgroups of $\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbf{F}_p)$

Let $p\geq 5$ be a prime and $\mathbf{F}_p$ a finite field of characteristic $p$. A subgroup of ${\rm GL}_n(\mathbf{F}_p)$ is full if it contains ${\rm{SL}}_n(\mathbf{F}_p)$. When $n=2$, we have the ...
10 votes
8 answers
1k views

Classifications of finite simple objects

I'm curious to know if other classifications are known of "finite simple structures" in the same spirit of the monumental classification of finite simple groups. Here I mean "...
5 votes
1 answer
285 views

How to make Burnside's formula compatible with point counting for varieties over finite fields?

If $G$ is a finite group acting on a finite set $X$, we have Burnside's formula that counts the number of orbits $|X/G|$ as: $$ |X/G| = \frac1{|G|} \sum_{g\in G} |X^g|, $$ with $X^g$ being the set of ...
2 votes
0 answers
154 views

Reference request - obtaining finite simple groups from algebraic groups

I'm looking for references for the following statements, which I believe are true: Let $G$ be a simply connected simple linear algebraic group over a finite field $k$ of cardinality $q\ge 4$. Let $Z\...
9 votes
2 answers
730 views

Find the order of a class of finite matrices over finite fields

Consider matrices $M$ of size $L\times L$ over a finite field $\mathbb{Z}_p$, for simplicity focus on $p$ prime. The size $L$ is even. We want to find the order of a specific class of matrices, namely ...
2 votes
1 answer
166 views

Subgroups of $\mathrm{SO}(A_0, \mathbb{F}_p)$

Let $n \geq 3$. Let $A_0$ denote the $n \times n$ symmetric matrix with $1$'s on the antidiagonal and $0$'s everywhere else. We can define the associated special orthogonal group $$ \mathrm{SO}(A_0, \...
2 votes
0 answers
203 views

Can the relation between count of commuting pairs and conjugacy classes for finite groups be generalized to semigroups?

It is well-known that number of pairs of commuting elements in finite group G is equal to number of conjugacy classes multiplied by cardinality of G. More generally here (MO275769) Qiaochu Yuan ...
2 votes
0 answers
116 views

Loewy structure of $S_4$

How to deduce the Loewy Structure of $kS_4$ where $k$ has characteristic 2. I can compute the Cartan matrix and Decomposition matrix with Brauer Characters without difficulties. But when it comes to ...
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Chains of numbers generated by 2 involutions

$\DeclareMathOperator\GF{GF}$Consider the finite field $\GF(p)$ for prime $p$. Consider the pair of involutions $f(x) = 1-x$ , $g(x) = 1/x$, and the chain of numbers generated by these 2 involutions ...
3 votes
1 answer
181 views

Centralizers of $\mathbb{F}_q$-rational semisimple elements of a finite group of Lie type

Let $\mathbb{G}$ be a connected reductive $\mathbb{F}_q$ algebraic group over its algebraic closure $\bar{\mathbb{F}_q}$, and $\mathbb{T}$ be an $\mathbb{F}_q$-defined maximal torus. Let $\Phi$ be the ...
0 votes
0 answers
386 views

Subgroups of multiplicative groups of the finite field with Mersenne prime order

I have a question about properties of the multiplicative groups. Let we have finite field of prime order $2^k$ -1. $k$ is co-prime with $$\frac{2^k-2}{k}$$. It is clear that multiplicative group of ...
56 votes
14 answers
21k views

Fantastic properties of Z/2Z

Recently I gave a lecture to master's students about some nice properties of the group with two elements $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$. Typically, I wanted to present simple, natural situations where the ...
5 votes
0 answers
203 views

Number of elements in $\mathrm{GL}(n,p)$ with maximal order

I learned reading this question that $\mathrm{GL}(n,p)$ elements have at most a multiplicative order of $p^n -1$. I would like to know how many matrices have an order of exactly $p^n -1$. Do they ...
3 votes
1 answer
53 views

describing embedding $U_3(q)<O_6^-(q)$, $q$ even

Let $q=2^k$. I need to explicitly construct $U_3(q)$ as a subgroup of $G=GO_6^-(q)$. It is well-known that $G\cong U_4(q)$, and as a subgroup of the latter one has $U_3(q)$ fixing a non-isotropic ...
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 $\alpha_i : \mathbb{F}_q^* \rightarrow \mathbb{C}^*$. ...
32 votes
9 answers
5k views

How many groups of size at most n are there? What is the asymptotic growth rate? And what of rings, fields, graphs, partial orders, etc.?

Question. How many (isomorphism types of) finite groups of size at most n are there? What is the asymptotic growth rate? And the same question for rings, fields, graphs, partial orders, etc. ...
5 votes
1 answer
764 views

Conjugacy classes in $GL_{n}(Z / pZ)$

Let $p$ be a prime number and $G=GL_n ( \mathbb{Z} / p \mathbb{Z} )$. Consider the set $U$ of upper-triangular matrices of $G$ having entries of $1$ on the diagonal. The cardinality of $U$ is $p^{\...
3 votes
0 answers
147 views

Under what conditions on $A$ and $v$ is the size of the sumset $v \cdot A + A$ over $\mathbb{F}_p$ equal or close to $|A|^2$?

Let $p$ be a prime, let $A$ be a subset of $\mathbb{F}_p$, and let $v \in \mathbb{F}_p \setminus \{0\}$. Under what conditions is $|v \cdot A + A|$ (that is, $|\{ va + b : a \in A,\ b \in A \}|$) ...
3 votes
1 answer
169 views

Image of the Lang-Steinberg map on disconnected centralizers of semisimple elements

Let $\newcommand{\dbF}{\mathbb F}\dbF_q$ be a finite field and let $G\subseteq\mathrm{GL}_N(\bar{\dbF}_q)$ be a connected reductive group defined over $\dbF_q$. Let $F$ be the associated Frobenius map,...
4 votes
0 answers
107 views

Finite transitive linear subgroups

Let $q$ be a prime power and $d$ an integer. I want to understand the classification of the transitive linear subgroups of $GL_d(\mathbb F_q)$. According to the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/...
3 votes
1 answer
288 views

Representation of a finite group over a finite field from rational representations

Suppose $G$ is a the cyclic group of $n$ elements and $p$ is a prime not in $n$. $G$ has an action on the cyclotomic field as a $\mathbb{Q}$-vector space $\mathbb{Q}[X] / \langle \Phi_n(X) \rangle$ by ...
3 votes
0 answers
99 views

Unitary matrices $p$-root of identity such that the Fourier transform matrices are $p$-root of identity

Take a prime number $p$ and $\omega=e^{2i\pi/p}$. Assume we have p complex matrices (in finite dimension $n$) $A_0, \dotsc, A_{p-1}$ such that $\forall i, A_i^p=I$. Define the $p$ fourrier transform ...
8 votes
1 answer
534 views

What is the minimum $k$ such that $A^k \equiv I$ mod p for invertible matrices?

Let $F$ be a finite field of order $p$, where $p$ is prime. For any $n\times n$ matrix $A$ that is invertible over $F$, then there would appear to exist integers $k$ such that $A^{k} = I$. My question ...
1 vote
0 answers
69 views

On equality of two quotients of a congruence subgroup

Related question: Non-torsion part of the abelianisation of congruence subgroups Let $A = \mathbb{F}_q[T]$ be the ring of polynomials with coefficients in a finite field, with $N$ a nonconstant ...
15 votes
1 answer
4k views

Order of finite unitary group

This may be an easy exercise but I am not getting it. Let $\mathbf F_q$ be a finite field with $q$ elements and $\mathbf F_{q^2}$ be its degree two extension. Define an automorphism $\sigma$ of $\...
3 votes
1 answer
236 views

Intersections of products of Sylow $p$-subgroups

Motivated by the work of Cohn, Umans and collaborators on bounding the complexity of matrix multiplication, a student and I have been investigating the following problem. For subsets $X$ and $Y$ of a ...
2 votes
0 answers
186 views

Sum of reciprocals in finite fields

Let $p$ be an odd prime number which large enough. I am interested in the study of the sums of reciprocals in the field $\mathbb{F}_p$. In particular, I have the following question: which primes $p$ ...
13 votes
1 answer
603 views

Steinberg representation for sporadic simple groups?

The Steinberg representation is a remarkable irreducible representation of a reductive algebraic group over a finite field or local field, or a group with a BN-pair. It is analogous to the 1-...
4 votes
0 answers
1k views

Representations of general linear groups GL_n(F_q) - decomposition of tensor product?

Let $V$ and $W$ be complex irreducible representations of $GL_n(F_q)$ where $F_q$ is finite field. Is the decomposition of $V \otimes W$ into irreducible representations known? PS Same question: ...
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

Maximal order of elements in SL(n,q)

The maximal order of an element of $\mathrm{GL}(n,\mathbb{F}_q)$ is $q^n-1$, where the characteristic of $\mathbb{F}_q$ is odd $p$. See here for a nice proof that uses the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem. ...
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

Number of commuting pairs (triples, n-tuples) in GL_n(F_q) (and other groups)?

Question 1 What is the number of pairs of commuting elements in GL_n(F_q) ? I am aware of many results concerning commuting elements in Mat_n(F_q), but I am interested in GL i.e. non-degenerate ...
5 votes
1 answer
343 views

Large gaps in Singer planar difference sets?

By a classical result of Singer (1938), for a prime number $p$ the cyclic group $C_n$ of order $n=1+p+p^2$ contains a subset $D$ of cardinality $|D|=1+p$ such that $DD^{-1}=C_n$. Such set $D$ is ...
6 votes
2 answers
113 views

Describing the action of $^2E_6(q)$

One of the constructions of the group $^2E_6(q)$ was presented by Tits in his paper "Les «formes réelles» des groupes de type $E_6$". It is being constructed by looking at the action of $^2E_6(q)$ on ...
5 votes
2 answers
571 views

Exceptional isomorphisms between finite simple Chevalley groups

Steinberg's "Lectures on Chevalley Groups" https://math.depaul.edu/cdrupies/research/papers/chevalleygroups.pdf contain ``a complete list of isomorphisms" among the various finite simple Chevalley ...
3 votes
2 answers
235 views

Do the irreducible modules of this finite group preserve a tensor product structure?

I am interested in a particular group $G$, where $$ (A_4\times C_\ell) \lhd G \lhd S_4 \times D_\ell$$ Here, $C_\ell$ is cyclic, $D_\ell$ is dihedral of order $2\ell$, and the two inclusions both have ...
3 votes
1 answer
128 views

embedding of $O_4^-(q)$ in $U_4(q)$

For $q$ an odd prime power, one can construct $H:=O_4^-(q)<U_4(q)$ by treating the $H$-invariant bilinear form as Hermitean. On the other hand $U_4(q)$ is isomorphic to $O_6^-(q)$; I need to ...
5 votes
0 answers
179 views

When is a Hermitian matrix of the form $g^*g$ for some matrix $g$

I tried asking this question on Math StackExchange and didn't get any replies. I was hoping that maybe someone here could help, sorry for duplicating. I'm trying to figure out some properties of ...
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

Cyclic subgroups of GL(n,q)

Let $q$ be a prime power. It is well known that all Singer subgroups (subgroups of order $q^n-1$) in $GL(n,q)$ are conjugate. My question is: If $H$ is a cyclic subgroup of order $m$ in $GL(n,q)$, $m\...
4 votes
1 answer
491 views

What is the permutation group generated by those three given morphisms of the affine space $\mathbb{F}_q^3$?

Let $\mathbb{A}^3 = \mathbb{F}_q^3$. Consider the following three functions $\mathbb{A}^3\to\mathbb{A}^3$: \begin{eqnarray*} h: (x, y, z) &\mapsto& (x, y, xy - z) \\ u: (x, y, z) &\mapsto&...
19 votes
4 answers
2k views

Non-split extensions of $GL_n(F_q)$ by $F_q^n$ ?

A very naive question : I just learned that there is a non-split extension of $GL_3(F_2)$ by $F_2^3$ (with standard action). It can be realized as the subgroup of the automorphism group $G_2$ of ...
2 votes
2 answers
220 views

How does one calculate/estimate/guarantee the girth of a non-Abelian Cayley graph?

This question is in reference to this other question, Can someone point out references (or explain!) which give techniques of being able to prove for any Cayley graph this property of having a girth ...
2 votes
1 answer
197 views

Invariant subspaces of an $F_2$-representation of the affine linear group of dimension 1

Let $p$ be an odd prime (large if it matters) and let $G= Aff(\mathbb{F}_{p^2}) \cong \mathbb{F}_{p^2} \rtimes \mathbb{F}_{p^2}^*$ be the affine linear group acting on $\mathbb{F}_{p^2}$ by $x\mapsto ...
3 votes
1 answer
298 views

Units in a finite semisimple group algebra

Let $G$ be a finite group and $k$ a finite field, with the characteristic of $k$ not dividing the order of $G$. Then $kG$ is a finite semisimple group algebra with the interesting property that an ...
2 votes
1 answer
380 views

Dihedral subgroups of $\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb{F}_q)$

Let $\mathbb{F}_q$ be a finite field with $q=p^f$ elements. I need to know when $\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb{F}_q)$ contains the group $D_{(q+1)/2}$, where by $D_n$ I mean the dihedral group of order $2n$. ...
3 votes
1 answer
608 views

Representation of GL(n, F_p) over F_p, for n small

The question is related to this post Representation theory of the general linear group over a finite prime field However, I am asking for more detailed references for n small, for example, for n=2, ...
0 votes
1 answer
210 views

Sylow-subgroups of the group of units of a finite field [closed]

Let $K$ be a finite field with $p^n$ elements. Then the group of unit is cyclic of order $p^n-1$. What are the primes which are dividing $p^n-1$? What are the Sylow-subgroups of the group of units of $...