Knörr lattices, their characters, and some subsets of \(\mathbb F^d_p\). (Q1938531)

Let \(R\) be a sufficiently large discrete valuation ring of characteristic \(0\) with residue characteristic \(p>0\), and let \(D\) be an elementary Abelian \(p\)-group of order \(p^d>1\). An indecomposable \(RD\)-lattice \(M\) with endomorphism ring \(A=\text{End}_{RD}(M)\) is called a Knörr lattice if the image of the Jacobson radical of \(A\) under the trace map \(\text{End}_R(M)\to R\) is properly contained in the image of \(A\). Knörr lattices are of interest in connection with Brauer's Height Zero Conjecture. The paper under review is concerned with the height \(h\) of a Knörr lattice \(M\), i.e. the maximal integer \(h\) such that \(p^h\) divides the \(R\)-rank of \(M\). The authors show that \(2h<d\) whenever \(M\) is a cyclic Knörr \(RD\)-lattice. They also construct examples where \(d\) and \(h\) are such that \(2h+2=d\), by making use of difference sets. Moreover, they show that, for \(d=3\), there does not exist a cyclic Knörr \(RD\)-lattice of positive height affording a rational-valued character.