Construction of a \(45,694\)-dimensional simple module of Lyons' sporadic group over \(\text{GF}(2)\) (Q1355237)

The authors explicitly calculate the 45694-dimensional representation of the Lyons group over \(\text{GF}(2)\), by chopping it out of the permutation representation on 9606125 points. They use the standard method of intersection matrices, combined with a version of \textit{J. Thackray}'s ``rip-off'' [Ph.D. thesis, Cambridge (1981)] to produce a basis for the space. Their claim to be able to do the same over \(\mathbb{Q}\) should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt -- while the algorithm is clear, so they can \textit{in principle} calculate the representation, experience suggests that the problems of `coefficient explosion' will render it impossible in practice.