Bounding the number of characters in a block of a finite group (Q2335501)

Let \(B\) be a block of a finite group \(G\) with defect group \(D\). Moreover, let \(\mathrm{Irr}(B)\) and \(\mathrm{IBr}(B)\) denote the sets of irreducible ordinary and irreducible Brauer characters in \(B\). One sets \(k(B) :=|\mathrm{Irr}(B)|\) and \(l(B) := |\mathrm{IBr}(B)|\). The author proves the following inequalities for \(k_0(B)\), the number of irreducible ordinary characters of height zero in \(B\): \[ k_0(B) \le k_0(\langle u \rangle \rtimes\mathcal{N} ) \mathrm{tr}(WC) \le |\langle u \rangle | \mathrm{tr}(WC); \] here \((u,b)\) is any \(B\)-subsection, \(\mathcal{N} := \mathrm{N}_G(\langle u \rangle,b)/\mathrm{C}_G(u)\), \(C\) is the Cartan matrix of the block \({\bar b}\) of \(\mathrm{C}_G(u)/\langle u \rangle\) dominated by the block \(b\) of \(\mathrm{C}_G(u)\), and \(W\) is any real \(l(b) \times l(b)\)-matrix satisfying \(xWx^\top \ge 1\) for every \(x \in\mathbb{Z}^{l(b)} \setminus \{0\}\). Moreover, the author also shows that the first inequality above is strict if \(\mathcal{N}\) acts non-trivially on \(\mathrm{IBr}(b)\). In the special case where \(u \in \mathrm{Z}(D)\), the proof of the inequalities above gives: \[ k(B) \le \left(|\mathcal{N}| +\frac{|\langle u \rangle | - 1}{|\mathcal{N}|} \right)\mathrm{tr}(WC) \le |\langle u \rangle |\mathrm{tr}(WC). \] Here, the first inequality is strict if \(\mathcal{N}\) acts non-trivially on \(\mathrm{IBr}(b)\), and the second inequality is strict if and only if \(1 < |\mathcal{N}| < |\langle u \rangle | -1\). These inequalities improve on earlier results by various authors. They are motivated, of course, by Brauer's conjecture that \(k(B) \le |D|\).