Some bismash products that are not group algebras. (Q2460817)

Let \(\mathbb{C}\) denote the field of complex numbers. Let \(\mathbb{S}_n\) be the symmetric group in \(n\) symbols. Consider the Hopf algebra \(H_n=\mathbb{C}^C\#\mathbb{C} S\), of dimension \(n!\), obtained as bismash product corresponding to the exact factorization of the symmetric group given by \(\mathbb{S}_n=SC\), where \(S\) is the subgroup stabilizing \(n\) and \(C\) is the cyclic subgroup generated by the permutation \((1,2,\dots,n)\). The main result of this paper states that if \(p\) is a prime number greater than \(3\) and \(n=p+1\) or \(p+2\), then there exists no group \(G\) for which \(H_n\) is isomorphic, as an algebra, to the group algebra \(\mathbb{C} G\). The strategy of the proof consists in showing that there is no group \(G\) of order \(n!\) which has the same degrees of irreducible characters as \(H_n\) does, and this is done using the theory of blocks of characters developed by \textit{R. Brauer} for groups of order divisible by a prime to the first power [Am. J. Math. 64, 401-420 (1942; Zbl 0061.03703)], and results of the author on bounds for the orders of finite linear groups [J. Algebra 319, No. 2, 759-776 (2008; Zbl 1143.20030)].