A note on modular Terwilliger algebras of association schemes (Q2094270)

Let \(S=R_i\), \((0 \leq i \leq d)\) be an association scheme of class \(d\) (not necessarily commutatitve) with vertex set \(X\). Let \(F\) be a field of prime characteristic \(p\). Fix a vertex \(x\). For \(0 \leq i \leq d\), let \(E_i^\ast\) denote the matrix over \(F\) (with rows and columns indexed by \(X\)) with \((y,z)\) the entry \(=1\) if \(y=z\), \((x,y) \in R_i\) and \( =0\) otherwise, The Terwilliger algebra of \(S\) over \(F\) (with respect to the vertex \(x\)) is defined to be the matrix algebra generated by these \(d+1\) matrices together with the \(d+1\) adjacency matrices of \(S\). Let \(W_0\) denote the \(F\)-linear span of \(E_i^\ast\), \(0 \leq i \leq d\). It is shown that \(W_0\) is a module over \(T\) (with \(T\) acting on the left by matrix multiplication); the author calls it the primary module of the Terwilliger algebra. More generally, for \(n \geq 0\), let \(W_n\) denote the \(F\)-linear span of the matrices \(E_i^\ast\), as \(i\) runs over the indices for which \(p^n\) divides the valence (degree) \(k_i\) of the relation \(R_i\) of \(S\). Then each \(W_n\) is a \(T\)-module. Note that we thus have a tower \(W_0 \supseteq W_1 \supseteq W_2 \supseteq \cdots\) of \(T\)-modules. The author defines a complicated equivalence relation \(\sim\) on the set of integers in \([0,d]\), given solely in terms of the prime \(p\) and the intersection numbers \(p^i_{j,k}\) of the association scheme \(S\). For \(n\geq0\), let \(I_n\) denote the set of all indices \(i\) (\(0 \leq i \leq d\)) such that \(p^n\) is the highest power of \(p\) dividing the valence \(k_i\), and let \(\sim_n\) be the restriction of the equivalence relation \(\sim\) to \(I_n\). Put \(Q_n := I_n/\sim_n\), the set of all \(\sim_n\)-equivalence classes. Let \(Q\) denote the disjoint union of the sets \(Q_n\) as \(n\) ranges over the integers for which \(I_n\) is non-empty. For \(C \in Q_n\), let \(V_C\) be the F-linear span in the quotient module \(W_n/W_{n+1}\) of \(E_i^\ast + W_{n+1}\), \(i \in C\). It is shown that \(V_C\) is a submodule of \(W_n/W_{n+1}\), of \(F\)-dimension \(\#(C)\). Further, \[ \{ {V_C : C \in Q}\}\tag{*} \] is a set of mutually non-isomorphic irreducible \(T\)-modules and this is a complete set of representatives of the composition factors of the primary \(T\)-module \(W_0\). Indeed, there is a composition series of \(W_0\) whose successive quotients are precisely the modules in (*), each occurring with multiplicity one. \textit{A. Hanaki} [Graphs Comb. 37, No. 5, 1521--1529 (2021; Zbl 1479.05366)] showed that the Terwilliger algebra \(T\) is semi-simple precisely when the prime \(p\) does not divide any of the valences of the relations in \(S\). Here, the author obtains other equivalent conditions for the semi-simplicity of \(T\). Letting \(B_0\) denote the \(F\)-linear span of the matrices \(E_i^\ast JE_j^\ast\), \(0 \leq i,j \leq d\) (where \(J\) is the all-one matrix of the appropriate order), it is shown that \(B_0\) is a two-sided ideal of \(T\), and \(T\) is semi-simple iff \(B_0\) is isomorphic to a full matrix algebra over \(F\). This happens iff \(B_0\) is an unital algebra and its unit is central in \(T\).