Representation growth of compact special linear groups of degree two (Q2071638)

Let \(\mathfrak{o}\) be a compact discrete valuation ring with maximal ideal \(\mathfrak{p}\) and finite residue field \(\mathbb{F}_{q}\) of characteristic \(p\). When \(p\) is odd, the representations of the groups \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o}/\mathfrak{p}^{r})\) were determined by \textit{P. C. Kutzko} [Am. J. Math. 100, 43--60 (1978; Zbl 0417.22012)] and later and independently by \textit{A. Jaikin-Zapirain} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 19, No. 1, 91--118 (2006; Zbl 1092.20023)]. This shows that the representation zeta function of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o})\) has abscissa of convergence equal to \(1\) when \(p>2\). It was shown by \textit{N. Avni} et al. [Contemp. Math. 566, 295--330 (2012; Zbl 1281.22004)] that the abscissa is also \(1\) when \(p=2\) and the characteristic of \(\mathfrak{o}\) is zero (in the case where \(\mathfrak{o}\) is the ring \(\mathbb{Z}_{2}\) of \(2\)-adic integers, this also follows from earlier work of \textit{A. Nobs} and \textit{J. Wolfart} [Math. Z. 138, 239--254 (1974; Zbl 0273.10020); C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 281, 261--264 (1975; Zbl 0309.20016); Comment. Math. Helv. 51, 491--526 (1976; Zbl 0346.20023)], who determined the representations of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z}_{2})\)). Another proof that the abscissa is \(1\) when \(p=2\) and the characteristic of \(\mathfrak{o}\) is zero was obtained by \textit{J. Häsä} and the reviewer [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 372, No. 2, 925--980 (2019; Zbl 1431.22019)], who also proved that the abscissa in the case where the characteristic of \(\mathfrak{o}\) is \(2\) is at most \(5/2\). The case where the characteristic of \(\mathfrak{o}\) is \(2\) is much harder, as one can neither use the Kirillov orbit method nor relate the abscissa to that of the twist representation zeta function of \(\mathrm{GL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o})\), as was done in previous work. The paper under review gives detailed information about the representations of the groups \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o}/\mathfrak{p}^{r})\) when the characteristic of \(\mathfrak{o}\) is \(2\), resulting in a proof that the abscissa of the representation zeta function of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o})\) is always equal to \(1\). The approach is based on Clifford theory, including new non-trivial key results regarding the set \[ \mathbb{E}_{\tilde{A}}=\left\{e_{\lambda}=\begin{bmatrix}1 & \tilde{a}^{-1}\lambda\\ 0 & 1 \end{bmatrix}\in H_{\tilde{A}}^{\ell} \mid\psi_{[A]}\text{ extends to }C_{S}^{\ell}(\tilde{A})\langle e_{\lambda}\rangle\right\}, \] contained in Section 5 of the paper. The other main result of the paper says that if \(\mathfrak{o}\) is of characteristic zero and \(\mathfrak{o}'\) is of characteristic \(2\) and with maximal ideal \(\mathfrak{p'}\), such that the residue field of \(\mathfrak{o}\) is finite of characteristic \(2\) and isomorphic to that of \(\mathfrak{o}'\), then the group algebras \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o}/\mathfrak{p}^{2r})]\) and \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathfrak{o}'/\mathfrak{p'}^{2r})]\) are not isomorphic for any \(r>e\), where \(e\) is the (absolute) ramification index of \(\mathfrak{o}\), that is, \(p\mathfrak{o}=\mathfrak{p}^{e}\). In particular, this implies that \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z}/2^{2r})]\) and \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{F}_{2}[t]/t^{2r})]\) are not isomorphic for any \(r>1\). This is equivalent to saying that there exists a natural number \(d\) such that the number of irreducible characters of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z}/2^{2r})\) of degree \(d\) is not equal to the number of irreducible characters of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{F}_{2}[t]/t^{2r})\) of degree \(d\). Note that by direct calculation one can show that the number of conjugacy classes of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z}/2^{3})\) is not the same as that of \(\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{F}_{2}[t]/t^{3})\), so \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z}/2^{3})]\) and \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{F}_{2}[t]/t^{3})]\) are not isomorphic and therefore it is not surprising that \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z}/2^{r})]\) and \(\mathbb{C}[\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{F}_{2}[t]/t^{r})]\) are not isomorphic for some \(r>3\).