Decomposition numbers and local properties (Q2182367)

Recall that if \(G\) is finite group, \(\mathrm{IBr}(G)\) is the set of irreducible \(p\)-Brauer characters of \(G\) and \(\chi \in \mathrm{Irr}(G)\) is an irreducible complex character of \(G,\) then the restriction \(\chi^\circ\) to the \(p\)-regular elements of \(G\) uniquely decomposes as \(\chi^\circ=\sum_{\phi \in \mathrm{IBr}(G)}d_{\chi,\phi}\phi\) for some uniquely determined non-negative integers \(d_{\chi,\phi},\) called the decomposition numbers. The authors propose the following conjecture. Let \(p >3\) be a prime, and let \(P\in \mathrm{Syl}_p(G).\) Then the following conditions are equivalent: (a) \(d_{\chi,1}\neq 0\) for every \(\chi \in \mathrm{Irr}(G)\) of \(p^\prime\)-degree, (b) \(d_{\chi,1}=1\) for every \(\chi \in \mathrm{Irr}(G)\) of \(p^\prime\)-degree, (c) \(N_G(P)=P.\) There are examples showing that the conjecture is false if \(p\in \{2,3\}\) and, as the authors write, it remains a challenge to find a version of this conjecture that works for \(p =2\) or \(3\) and for all finite groups. In this paper, the following evidences are proved: if \(G\) is \(p\)-solvable, or \(P\) is cyclic, then the conjecture is true (for any prime \(p\)); the conjecture is true for \(G\) if it is true for every almost simple group \(X\) such that \(S=\mathrm{soc}(X)\) is a group of Lie type in characteristic \(p,\) \(X/S\) is a \(p\)-group, and \(S\) is a composition factor of \(G\); if \(p>3,\) then \((c) \Rightarrow (a) \Rightarrow (b).\) The previous conjecture is concerned only with the principal \(p\)-block of finite groups. The paper contains also a result related to the other \(p\)-blocks. Let \(B\) be a \(p\)-block of a finite group \(G,\) and let \(b\) be the Brauer first main correspondent. Suppose that \(B\) has cyclic defect group, or that \( G\) is \(p\)-solvable. Then there exists \(\phi\in \mathrm{IBr}(G)\) such that \(d_{\chi,\phi}\neq 0\) for all \(\chi\in \mathrm{IBr}_0(G)\) if and only if \(l(b)=1\), where \(\mathrm{IBr}_0(G)\) is the set of height zero characters of \(B.\)