Phantom maps in the stable module category (Q1270371)

The idea of a phantom map appears in homotopy theory; this paper describes an analogous construction for group algebras. Let \(k\) be a field and \(G\) be a finite group. A map of \(kG\)-modules is called projective if it factors through a projective module. The stable module category is got from the ordinary additive category of \(kG\)-modules by equating projective maps to zero. A phantom map from \(M\) to \(N\) is a stable map with trivial restriction to each finitely generated submodule of \(M\). Nontrivial phantom maps can be constructed by cohomological methods. Let \(M\) be a countably generated \(kG\)-module. There is a construction for a weakly universal phantom map on \(M\). If \(M\) is a direct sum of finitely generated modules then every phantom map on \(M\) is trivial, and conversely. If \(f\colon M\to M'\) and \(f'\colon M'\to M''\) are phantom maps then the composite \(f'f\) is trivial. For any module \(N\), the space of phantom maps from \(M\) to \(N\) is expressed as a \(\varprojlim^1\) space; if \(N\) is finitely generated or profinite, then the phantom maps from \(M\) to \(N\) are all trivial.