Rationality of certain cuspidal unipotent representations in crystalline cohomology groups. (Q2641675)

Let \(G\) be a connected reductive group over a finite field \(\mathbb{F}_q\) with Frobenius map \(F\). One is interested in the local Schur indices of the complex irreducible unipotent representations of the finite group \(G^F=G(\mathbb{F}_q)\). One may reduce to the cuspidal case. Almost all cases have been treated by Lusztig and Geck, with a rather general method, but two cases fall outside the scope of that method. One case involves \(E_7\), the other \(E_8\). The author shows that a different general approach, using also crystalline cohomology, works for these cases, too. He gives a further interpretation of the answer in terms of motives over finite fields.