Certain applications of the Burnside rings and ghost rings in the representation theory of finite groups. I (Q1281168)

Let \(G\) be a finite group, \(U_1,\dots,U_q\) a maximal non-conjugating set of cyclic subgroups of \(G\) and \(\phi_1,\dots,\phi_q\) the characters of \(G\) induced from the trivial representations of \(U_1,\dots,U_q\) respectively. By definition, the Artin exponent of \(G\) is the smallest natural number \(k\) such that for any rational character \(\chi\) of \(G\) there are integers \(a_1,\dots,a_q\) such that \(k\chi=\sum_{i=1}^q a_i\phi_i\). This invariant was computed by \textit{T.-Y. Lam} [J. Algebra 9, 94-119 (1968; Zbl 0277.20006)] by examining the Grothendieck ring of all rational representations of \(G\). In this paper the author shows that the Artin exponent can be computed using the Burnside ring theoretic approach. After providing the necessary results on the Burnside ring and its ghost ring, the author gives the definition of the Artin exponent in terms of the Burnside ring, and proves the (existing) results in the case of \(p\)-groups.