Simple endotrivial modules for linear, unitary and exceptional groups. (Q2516485)

The paper under review is a continuation of a paper by \textit{C. Lassueur, G. Malle} and \textit{E. Schulte} [J. Reine Angew. Math. (to appear)]. Motivated by a result of \textit{G. R. Robinson} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 43, No. 4, 712-716 (2011; Zbl 1234.20003)], the aim is to classify the simple endotrivial modules of the quasi-simple finite groups. Here the authors focus their attention on special linear and unitary groups, where they obtain a complete classification, and on exceptional groups of Lie type. In their earlier paper with Schulte, the authors conjectured that a quasi-simple finite group with a faithful simple endotrivial module in characteristic \(p\) has \(p\)-rank at most \(2\). In the present paper, the authors verify this conjecture. As another consequence of their results, the authors show that the principal \(p\)-block of a finite simple group with noncyclic Sylow \(p\)-subgroup cannot have Loewy length \(4\), for \(p>2\). This result is motivated by a paper by \textit{S. Koshitani, B. Külshammer} and \textit{B. Sambale} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 156, No. 3, 555-570 (2014; Zbl 1329.20009)].