Number of modular character degrees and lengths for solvable groups (Q1188137)

Let \(G\) be a finite solvable group and let \(cd(G)\) denote the set of all the degrees of the irreducible ordinary characters of \(G\). One degree problem in ordinary representation theory is to obtain control on the structure of \(G\) by a knowledge of \(cd(G)\). One such control is the Isaac conjecture that \(dl(G) \leq | cd(G)|\), where \(dl(G)\) denotes the derived length of \(G\). This conjecture is still open and its proof for the special case of \(| G|\) odd has been given by \textit{T. R. Berger} [J. Algebra 39, 199-207 (1976; Zbl 0362.20012)]. The same degree problem makes sense in the context of modular representation theory. In this case let \(K\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic \(p\), where \(p\) is any prime number. The set of all dimensions of the irreducible \(KG\)-modules is denoted by \(cd_ p(G)\). Since the largest normal \(p\)-subgroup \(O_ p(G)\) of \(G\) is the intersection of the kernels of all irreducible \(KG\)-modules information about \(cd_ p(G)\) can only say something about \(G/O_ p(G)\). In his Ph.D. thesis [Gruppen mit wenigen \(p\)-modularen Charaktergraden (Univ. Mainz, 1989; Zbl 0694.20007)] \textit{F. Bernhardt} proved that if \(| cd_ p(G| \leq 3\) and \(p > 3\), then \(dl(G/O_ p(G)) \leq 4\). A generalization of this result is theorem A of the paper under review. This theorem implies that \(dl(G/O_ p(G))\) is bounded above by the function \(f(c) = 3c^ 2 + 3c - 5\) where \(c = | cd_ p(G)|\). An interesting case of theorem A is where the group \(G\) has an abelian normal \(p\)-complement. In this case \(cd_ p(G)\) is just the set of sizes of the orbits of the action of \(P \in Syl_ p(G)\) on the group of linear characters of \(K\). In this special case and when \(G\) is a \(p\)-group a better bound than theorem \(A\) is obtained. The paper also contains results on bounding the \(p\)-length of \(p\)-solvable groups.