Universal deformation rings and fusion. (Q404567)

Let \(\Gamma\) be a finite group, and let \(p\) be an odd prime. The paper under consideration investigates to what extent universal deformation rings of absolutely irreducible \(\mathbb F_p\Gamma\)-modules can be used to determine the fusion of certain subgroups \(N\) in \(\Gamma\). Recall that two elements of \(N\) are said to be fused in \(\Gamma\) if they are conjugate in \(\Gamma\), but not in \(N\). The groups \(\Gamma\) the author investigates are extensions of certain groups \(G\) of order prime to \(p\) by an elementary abelian \(p\)-group \(N\) of rank 2. The main theorem of the paper gives a complete answer when \(G\) is a dihedral group of order \(2n\geq 6\), \(p\equiv 1\bmod n\) and the action of \(G\) on \(N\) is given by an irreducible representation of \(G\) over \(\mathbb F_p\). More precisely, if the center of \(G\) acts trivially on \(N\), the author shows that the fusion of \(N\) in \(\Gamma\) is uniquely determined by the absolutely irreducible \(\mathbb F_p\Gamma\)-modules of dimension 2 over \(\mathbb F_p\) which have universal deformation ring different from \(\mathbb Z_p\). On the other hand, if the center of \(G\) acts non-trivially on \(N\), then \(n\) is even and the universal deformation ring is isomorphic to \(\mathbb Z_p\) for every absolutely irreducible \(\mathbb F_p\Gamma\)-module of dimension 2 over \(\mathbb F_p\). The author further shows that then the fusion of \(N\) in \(\Gamma\) is determined if and only if \(n\) is either a power of 2, or \(n=2q\), for some odd prime \(q\). The author also investigates the case when \(G\) is abelian. He proves that in this case the universal deformation rings of absolutely irreducible \(\mathbb F_p\Gamma\)-modules can only be used to determine the number of fusion orbits of size 1, i.e. those elements of \(N\) which are not fused. To prove these results, the author analyzes \(\mathrm H^i(\Gamma,\Hom_{\mathbb F_p}(V,V))\) for \(i=1,2\) when \(V\) is an absolutely irreducible \(\mathbb F_p\Gamma\)-module. He uses a result from \textit{F. M. Bleher} et al. [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 365, No. 11, 6149-6165 (2013; Zbl 1281.20009)] to determine the universal deformation rings in case \(\Gamma\) is an extension of a dihedral group \(G\) by \(N\).