On idempotents and the number of simple components of semisimple group algebras (Q287495)

This work can be considered as a continuation if earlier work of \textit{A. Olivieri} et al. [Commun. Algebra 32, No. 4, 1531--1550 (2004; Zbl 1081.20001)], on the description of the primitive central idempotents of the rational group algebra \(\mathbb{Q}G\) of a finite monomial group \(G\), and the work of \textit{O. Broche} and \textit{Á. del Río} [Finite Fields Appl. 13, No. 1, 71--79 (2007; Zbl 1111.20005)] on the same problem but for finite semisimple group algebras. It also is an extension of work of \textit{G. K. Bakshi} and \textit{S. Maheshwary} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 218, No. 9, 1583--1593 (2014; Zbl 1295.20004)]. In this paper, \(F\) is a number field and \(G\) is a finite group. The following main results are obtained. (1) A description of the primitive central idempotents of \(FG\) in case \(G\) is monomial. (2) A description of the Wedderburn decomposition of \(FG\) in case \(G\) is strongly monomial. (3) In case \(G\) is strongly monomial, it is determined when the number of simple components of \(FG\) agrees with the number of simple components of \(\mathbb{Q}G\). (4) In case \(G\) is strongly monomial, a formula is given for the rank of the central units of \(RG\), where \(R\) is the ring of integers of \(F\). In earlier work of \textit{A. Olivieri} et al. [Commun. Algebra 32, No. 4, 1531--1550 (2004; Zbl 1081.20001)] the case \(F=\mathbb{Q}\) was dealt with. An important tool in this work is the notion of a (strong) Shoda pair of subgroup of \(G\) that was introduced in [Zbl 1081.20001].