Projective indecomposable modules, Scott modules and the Frobenius-Schur indicator. (Q2370151)

Consider a 2-modular system \((\mathcal O,F,k)\) for a finite group \(G\), where \(\mathcal O\) is a complete discrete valuation ring with field of fractions \(F\), unique maximal ideal \(J(\mathcal O)\) and residue field \(\mathcal O/J(\mathcal O)=k\) of characteristic 2. The Frobenius-Schur indicator \(\nu(\chi)\) of a generalized character \(\chi\) of \(G\) is \[ |G|^{-1}\sum_{g\in G}\chi(g^2). \] Let \(e\) be a primitive idempotent in \(kG\), and \(\widehat e\) be the corresponding primitive idempotent in \(\mathcal OG\) modulo \(J(\mathcal O)G\). \(ekG\) and \(\widehat e\mathcal O G\) are the principal indecomposable \(kG\)-module and principal indecomposable \(\mathcal O G\)-module, respectively. The character \(\Phi\) of \(F\otimes_{\mathcal O}ekG\) is the principal indecomposable character of \(G\) corresponding to \(e\), \(\widehat e\) and \(ekG\) which can be expressed as \(\sum d_{\chi,\Phi}\chi\). \(d_{\chi,\Phi}\) is called the decomposition number of \(\Phi\). Let \(R\) be either \(\mathcal O\) or \(k\). The standard symmetrizing form \(\lambda\) on \(RG\) is the map from group ring \(RG\) to \(R\) taking the coefficient of \(1\) for any \(x\in RG\). The contragradient operator \(^\circ\) is an involutary algebra anti-automorphism of \(RG\) that maps each \(g\in G\) to its inverse. Let \(\Omega=\{g\in G\mid g^2=1\}\) and \(RS\) be the span of a subset \(S\) of \(G\) in \(RG\). The main result of the paper is that the Frobenious-Schur indicator of \(\Phi\) is the rank of the bilinear form \[ \lambda_e\colon k\Omega\times k\Omega\to k,\quad\text{where }\lambda_e(s,t)=\lambda(e^\circ set),\quad\text{for all }s,t\in\Omega. \] Note that a conjugacy class is real if it contains the inverse of each of its elements, and is strongly real if each of its elements is inverted by an involution. A direct application of the result is that for a 2-block \(B\) of \(kG\), \(B\) is real and has a strongly real defect class if and only if \(\lambda(e^\circ set)\neq 0\) for some primitive idempotent \(e\in B\) and some \(s,t\in\Omega\). Using a quadratic geometric approach, it is shown that if \(ekG\) has a quadratic geometry, then the Frobenius-Schur indicator is positive. In particular, \(e\) is in a strongly real 2-block of \(G\).