Essential \(p\)-dimension of the normalizer of a maximal torus. (Q413928)

Let \(p\) be a prime, \(G\) be a split simple algebraic group over a field \(F\) of characteristic \(\neq p\) and let \(N\) be the normalizer of a split maximal torus in \(G\). The goal of the paper under review is to compute the essential \(p\)-dimension \(\mathrm{ed}_p(N)\) of \(N\), extending upon the paper by \textit{A. Meyer} and \textit{Z. Reichstein} [Algebra Number Theory 3, No. 4, 467-487 (2009; Zbl 1222.11056)], which covers the case \(G=\mathrm{PGL}_n\). As the connected component of \(N\) is a torus, general lower and upper bounds on \(\mathrm{ed}_p(N)\) are provided by a recent paper of the author, \textit{A. Meyer, Z. Reichstein} and the reviewer [J. Reine Angew. Math. 677, 1-13 (2013; Zbl 1354.14071)] in terms of dimensions of representations of \(N\) with finite kernel of order prime to \(p\). In a detailed case-by-case analysis these bounds are worked out explicitly for all split simple groups \(G\). As a result the author obtains the exact value of \(\mathrm{ed}_p(N)\) in most cases. The only case where the lower bound differs from the upper bound by more than one is the case \(G=\mathrm{Sp}_{2n}\), where \(n\leq\mathrm{ed}_p(N)\leq 2n\). As a further result, the author obtains an upper bound on the essential \(p\)-dimension of any torus contained in a (not necessarily split) simple algebraic group \(G\). He shows that this bound is optimal in the sense, that (in characteristic 0) a ``generic maximal torus'' inside \(G_K\) for some field extension \(K/k\) achieves the bound. Moreover the inequality \(\mathrm{ed}_p(G)\leq\mathrm{ed}_p(N)\) is applied to obtain new upper bounds on \(\mathrm{ed}_p(G)\) for various split simple algebraic groups \(G\), improving upon previously known results.