Rhetorical biset functors, rational \(p\)-biset functors and their semisimplicity in characteristic zero (Q933373)

Let \(R\) be a commutative ring, and \({\mathcal X}\) a non-empty set of of finite groups that is closed under subquotients up to isomorphism. A biset functor \(L\) for \({\mathcal X}\) over \(R\) is a family of \(R\)-modules together with five kinds of \(R\)-maps satisfying certain relations. For each group \(G\) in \({\mathcal X}\), \(L(G)\) is an \(R\)-module. If \(\nu:H\to G\) is a group monomorphism, \(\mu\) a group epimorphism and \(\theta:G'\to G\) a group isomorphism, there is a transfer map \(\text{tra}^\nu_{G,H}:L(H)\to L(G)\), an inflation map \(\text{inf}^\mu_{F,G}:L(G)\to L(F)\), a restriction map \(\text{res}^\nu_{H,G}:L(G)\to L(H)\), a deflation map \(\text{def}^\mu_{G,F}:L(F)\to L(G)\) and an isogation map \(\text{iso}^\theta_{G,G'}:L(G')\to L(G)\). For a prime \(p\), a \(p\)-biset functor is a biset functor for a class \({\mathcal X}_p\) of isomorphism classes of finite \(p\)-groups. The author is concerned with two classes of biset functors, namely rhetorical biset functors and rational \(p\)-biset functors (their definition is too technical to be included here). He proves that every rhetorical \(p\)-biset functor is rational, and moreover, the rhetorical \(p\)-biset functors over a field \({\mathbb F}\) coincide with the rational \(p\)-biset functors over \({\mathbb F}\) if and only if char(\({\mathbb F})\neq 2\) or \(p\neq 2\). He also shows that over a field \({\mathbb K}\) of characteristic zero, the rhetorical biset functors are semisimple, and they admit a character theory involving primitive characters of automorphism groups of cyclic groups.