Weights for symmetric and general linear groups (Q750605)

The first author has defined the concept of a weight \((R,\varphi)\) for an arbitrary finite group \(G\) and a prime number \(r\): \(R\) is an \(r\)-subgroup of \(G\) such that \(R=O_ r(N(R))\) and \(\varphi\) an irreducible character of \(N(R)\), trivial on \(R\) and in an \(r\)-block of defect 0 of \(N(R)/R\). In analogy to the modular representation theory of finite Lie groups in the defining characteristic of the group he conjectured that the number of weights should equal the number of modular irreducible representations. The authors have proved this conjecture and its refinement to blocks for the symmetric groups and in general for the finite general linear groups.