Cartan matrices and Brauer's \(k(B)\)-conjecture. (Q716473)

Let \(G\) be a finite group and \(p\) be a prime. In this paper the author raises the following question: Do there exist a Cartan matrix \(C\) of a \(p\)-block \(B\) and a matrix \(S\in\text{GL}(l(B),\mathbb Z)\) such that \(S^TCS\) is decomposable (where \(l(B)\) is the number of irreducible Brauer characters in \(B\))? The question is answered in the negative in two special cases, and as an application of these results and earlier work of \textit{B. Külshammer} and \textit{T. Wada} [Arch. Math. 79, No. 2, 81-86 (2002; Zbl 1011.20009)], a sharp bound is proved for \(k(B)\) (= the number of ordinary irreducible characters in \(B\)) in the special case where \(l(B)\leq 4\) and the determinant of the Cartan matrix coincides with the order of the defect group. Moreover it is shown that Brauer's \(k(B)\)-conjecture holds for 2-blocks under some restrictions on the defect group. For example, the \(k(B)\)-conjecture holds for 2-blocks with defect at most 4. In a sequel to this paper [J. Algebra 337, No. 1, 345-362 (2011; Zbl 1243.20013)], the author extends the latter results to odd primes.