The Green ring of a finite group (Q793838)

A(G) denotes the Green ring formed from (\({\mathbb{C}}\)-combinations of) finite-dimensional (right) kG-modules, where k is a field of characteristic p and G is a finite group. For a p'-element x of G, evaluation of the Brauer character on each module M gives a \({\mathbb{C}}\)- algebra homomorphism: \(A(G)\to {\mathbb{C}}.\) Here the general \({\mathbb{C}}\)- algebra homomorphism \(s:A(G)\to {\mathbb{C}},\) called a species, is considered together with the associated structure of A(C). Each such s determines a subgroup H, called the origin of s (determined up to conjugacy in G) and a vertex \(O_ p(H)\); indeed H is a cyclic extension of \(O_ p(H)\) (p- hypoelementary group). By restriction and induction techniques (modulo fusion, etc.) s can be evaluated by its restriction to the \({\mathbb{C}}\)- subalgebra A(H) (i.e. to local subgroups H). Two inner products on A(G) are considered: \((M,N)=\dim_ kHom_{kG}(M,N)\) and \(<M,N>=rank\) of \((\sum_{g\in G}g)\) on \(Hom_ k(M,N)\). These are closely related; there are u and v in A(G) such that \(u.v=1\), \((M,N)=<v.M,N>\) and \(<M,N>=(u.M,N),\) etc. Further they are nonsingular on A(G). Indeed for each indecomposable \(V_ i\), there exists \(G_ i\) in A(G) such that \(<V_ i,G_ j>=\delta_{ij}.\) The elements \(G_ i\) are called atoms and they are the simple modules and the ''irreducible glues'', the latter being related to the Auslander-Reiten sequences for the group algebra. Any module may then be regarded as a formal sum of atoms, namely its composition factors and the glues holding it together. Frobenius reciprocity holds for \(< , >\) as well as for (, ). Further atoms correspond (under induction) in the Green correspondence theorem. Finally there are orthogonality relations between the values of species on indecomposables and values on the atoms, which help in evaluating species. Many examples are given and in the last section a method is provided for constructing species in characteristic two.