Set functors equipped with a double action (Q1921930)

The paper under review contains a lot of interesting results. Only part of it can be summarized here. Let \(G\) and \(H\) be finite groups. A finite \(G\)-set-\(H\) is a finite set \(X\), with \(G\) acting from the left and \(H\) from the right such that both actions commute. If \(K\) is a third group and if \(Y\) is an \(H\)-set-\(K\) then it is possible to form a \(G\)-set-\(K\) \(X \times_H Y\). Let \(A\) be a fixed commutative ring. The author constructs the following \(A\)-linear category \({\mathcal C} = {\mathcal C}_A\): Its objects are all finite groups; for finite groups \(G\), \(H\) the set of morphisms \(G \to H\) is the Grothendieck group of finite \(G\)-sets-\(H\), with scalars extended to \(A\); the composition of morphisms is induced by \(\times_H\). The \(A\)-linear functors from \(\mathcal C\) to the category \(_A{\mathcal M}od\) of left \(A\)-modules form an abelian category \({\mathcal F}unct_A({\mathcal C})\). This category is the basic object of investigation in this paper. The author shows that (isomorphism classes of) simple objects in \({\mathcal F}unct_A ({\mathcal C})\) are in bijection with (isomorphism classes of) pairs \((H,V)\) where \(H\) is a finite group and \(V\) is a simple \(A \text{Out}(H)\)-module. The simple functor \(S_{H,V}\) corresponding to \((H,V)\) is the unique simple quotient of the functor \(L_{H,V}\) defined by \(L_{H,V}(X) = \text{Hom}(H,X) \otimes_{\text{End}(H)} V\) for every finite \(G\)-set \(X\); here the \(A\)-algebra \(\text{End}(H)\) has an ideal \(I_H\) such that \(\text{End}(H) = A\text{ Out}(H) \oplus I_H\), and \(V\) is considered as an \(\text{End}(H)\)-module with \(I_H\) acting trivially. An important object in \({\mathcal F}unct_A ({\mathcal C})\) is the Burnside functor \(b\) associating to a finite group \(G\) the Burnside ring \(b(G)\), with scalars extended to \(A\). Suppose that \(A = k\) is a field of characteristic zero. The author classifies the ``composition factors'' of \(b\): These are precisely the functors of the form \(S_{H,k}\) where \(H\) is a finite \(b\)-group and \(k\) is the trivial \(k \text{Out}(H)\)-module. They all have multiplicity one in \(b\). A finite group \(G\) is called a \(b\)-group if, for every nontrivial normal subgroup \(N\) of \(G\), the map \(b(G) \to b(G/N)\) associating to a finite \(G\)-set \(X\) the \(G/N\)-set \(N\setminus X\) of \(N\)-orbits on \(X\) vanishes on the primitive idempotent \(e^G_G\) in \(b(G)\). A finite soluble group \(G\) is a \(b\)-group if and only if every minimal normal subgroup \(N\) of \(G\) has exactly \(|N|\) complements in \(G\). Thus a finite nilpotent group \(G\) is a \(b\)-group if and only if \(G\) is isomorphic to \((\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z})^2\) for a square-free integer \(n\). Finite nonabelian simple groups and finite nonabelian symmetric groups are further examples of \(b\)-groups. Another important object in \({\mathcal F}unct_A({\mathcal C})\) is the functor associating to a finite group \(G\) the ring of complex-valued class functions on \(G\); in this case \(A = \mathbb{C}\). The author shows that this functor is ``semisimple'': It is a ``locally finite'' direct sum of the functors \(S_{\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z},\zeta}\) where \(m\) is a positive integer and \(\zeta\) is a primitive character \(\text{mod }m\). Other topics considered in this paper include a theory (in fact, two theories) of vertices and sources and the connection with the theory of global Mackey functors.