Block multiplicities and the Brauer correspondence (Q1188153)

Let \(G\) be a finite group, \(H\) a subgroup of \(G\). The blocks of \(G\) are viewed as the indecomposable \(G \times G\) summands of the group algebra \(kG\). Let \(B'\) be a block of \(H\) and \(B\) the unique block of \(G\) such that \(B|_{H\times H}\) has a direct summand, which is isomorphic to \(B'\). Then the authors say that \(B'\) corresponds to \(B\) in the sense of \textit{J. L. Alperin} and \textit{D. W. Burry} [J. Algebra 65, 225-233 (1980; Zbl 0435.20006)]. In this paper the authors study instances of this correspondence when \(B'\) does not have multiplicity one in \(kG\). Two interpretations of block multiplicities are given. In the case \(H\leq G\), the \(p\)-part of a block multiplicity appears as the index of \(D\) in a defect group of the corresponding block. In the case \(G = C_ G(D)D\), the multiplicity of \(B'\) can be deduced from the decomposition of the induced character \(\chi^ G\), where \(\chi\) is the unique irreducible character in \(B'\) with \(D\) in the kernel. In a series of three correspondences, Brauer's Extended First Main Theorem associates to \(B'\) a block of \(N = N_ H(D)\), an \(N\)-conjugacy class of blocks of \(L = C_ H(D)D\), and a corresponding conjugacy class of blocks of \(L/D\). The authors examine how block multiplicities change at each of these stages. Also the authors characterize when the Alperin-Burry correspondence is defined for blocks of defect zero. They show a difference between the classical Brauer correspondence and the Alperin-Burry correspondence. In particular it is shown that the domains of these two correspondences do not coincide.