Primordial subgroups for \(\text{mod}(kG)\) (Q1174633)

Let \(k\) be any field and consider the ring \(G\)-functor \(R_ k\), which assigns to each \(H\subseteq G\) the Grothendieck ring of the category of \(kH\)-modules with the usual restriction, induction and conjugation. It is well known that for fields \(k\) of characteristic zero, \({\mathcal P}(R_ k)\) equals the set of \(k\)-elementary subgroups of \(G\); Thévenaz conjectured that this is also the case for fields of positive characteristic. In this work we give a short proof of this statement. First we show for the ring \(G\)-functor \(_ \mathbb{Q} R_ k =\mathbb{Q}\otimes_ \mathbb{Z} R_ k\) that \({\mathcal P}(_ \mathbb{Q} R_ k)\) equals the set of cyclic subgroups of \(G\) of order prime to the characteristic of \(k\). Then we use this to prove the Thévenaz conjecture.