On the existence of Johnson polynomials for nilpotent groups. (Q2352038)

The total character \(\tau_G\) of a finite group \(G\) is the direct sum of all its irreducible complex characters. This character carries interesting information for groups like \(S_n\), \(GL(n,q)\) etc. Examples of groups like \(SL(2,2^n)\) for which there exists an irreducible character \(\chi\) for which \(\chi^2=\tau_G\) (and, in fact, a characterization of solvable groups with this property) motivated K. W. Johnson to ask for a characterization of finite groups \(G\) which admit an integral polynomial \(f\) such that \(f(\chi)=\tau_G\) for some irreducible character \(\chi\) of \(G\). There are examples of groups which admit polynomials with rational (but not integral) coefficients with the above property; these are therefore called generalized Johnson polynomials. Nilpotent groups of class \(2\) with cyclic centers seem to give the only examples of groups admitting generalized Johnson polynomials. In this article, the authors prove that a nilpotent group of class \(2\) admits an integral Johnson polynomial if, and only if, it is an extraspecial \(2\)-group, and also that such a group admits a generalized Johnson polynomial if, and only if, its center is cyclic. Further, they show that nilpotent groups of nilpotence class \(3\) do not admit generalized Johnson polynomials. All this provides evidence to the expectation that the only nilpotent groups admitting a generalized Johnson polynomial have nilpotent class \(2\) and cyclic center.