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Benjamin Steinberg
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Here is another proof that the global dimension is infinite that is specific to groups and explicitly identifies a module of infinite projective dimension. Let $G$ be a finite group and suppose that the characteristic $p$ of $k$ divides the order of $G$. Then I claim that the trivial $kG$-module has infinite projective dimension. That is, the group $G$ has infinite mod $p$ cohomological dimension. First of all this follows when $G$ is a cyclic group of order $p$ from the very well known resolution of the trivial module (which can be obtained topologically using infinite lens spaces). If $t$ is the generator, you have a resolution where each module is $kG$ and you alternate between multiplying by $t-1$ and $1+t+\cdots+t^{p-1}$ (except for the augmentation $kG\to k$ at the beginning). When you hom into the trivial module $k$ you end up with a resolution with all the vector spaces $k$ and where all the maps are zero since $p$ is the characteristic of the field $k$ and so while $t-1$ always becomes zero after mapping into a trivial module, $1+t+\cdots+t^{-1}$ becomes multiplication by $p$, which is $0$, after mapping into a trivial module. This shows that $$H^n(C,k)=\mathrm{Ext}^n_{kG}(k,k)\cong k$$ for all $n\geq 0$.

Next assume that $p\mid |G|$. Then $G$ has a cyclic subgroup $C$ of order $p$. Shapiro's lemma now implies that $$\mathrm{Ext}^n_{kG}(k,\mathrm{Coind}_C^G k)=H^n(G,\mathrm{Coind}_C^G k)\cong H^n(C,k)\neq 0$$ so again the trivial module has infinite projective dimension.

Benjamin Steinberg
  • 38.6k
  • 3
  • 104
  • 186