Degrees of characters in the principal block (Q2664502)

Let \(p\) be a prime, and suppose that all nonlinear characters in the principal \(p\)-block of a finite group \(G\) have the same degree. Using the classification of finite simple groups, the author proves that \(G/O_{p'}(G)\) is metabelian. A related result does not require the classification of finite simple groups: Let \(p\) and \(q\) be distinct primes. Then the degrees of the irreducible characters in the principal \(p\)-block of a finite group \(G\) are all powers of \(q\) if and only if \(G/O_{p'}(G)\) has an abelian normal \(q\)-complement. The paper also fills a gap in a paper by \textit{E. Giannelli} et al. [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 148, No. 11, 4597--4614 (2020; Zbl 07243334)].