The globally irreducible representations of symmetric groups (Q4699561)

The notion of globally irreducible representations was first introduced by \textit{J. G. Thompson} [J. Algebra 38, 523-524 (1976; Zbl 0344.20001)] in the course of constructing the sporadic finite simple group \(Th\), and expanded by \textit{B. H. Gross} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 3, No. 4, 929-960 (1990; Zbl 0745.11035)]. This property is shared by the \(E_8\)-lattice, the Leech lattice, and many other known lattices when one considers the natural representation of an automorphism group of the lattice on it, see for instance the reviewer's paper [Geom. Dedicata 64, No. 1, 85-123 (1997; Zbl 0867.20005)]. The main result of the paper is that the only globally irreducible representations of the symmetric group \(\Sigma_n\), \(n\geq 5\), are the trivial representation and the sign representation. Since \(\mathbb{Q}\) and \(\mathbb{F}_p\) are splitting fields for \(\Sigma_n\), the proof boils down to show that for any partition \(\lambda\) of \(n\), different from \((n)\) and \((1^n)\), there is a prime \(p\) such that the Specht module \(S^\lambda\) is reducible modulo \(p\). The main ingredients of the proof are: (a) Carter's criterion (for a Specht module to be irreducible modulo a prime \(p\)), proved by \textit{G. D. James} and \textit{G. E. Murphy} [cf. Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 83, 11-17 (1978; Zbl 0385.05027), and J. Algebra 59, 222-235 (1979; Zbl 0417.20012)], and (b) the results of \textit{R. W. Carter} and \textit{M. T. J. Payne} on the Hom space between two Specht modules [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 87, 419-425 (1980; Zbl 0429.20014)]. The proof can be shortened if one makes use of the very recent result of \textit{G. James} and \textit{A. Mathas} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 31, No. 4, 457-462 (1999)]. Remark: Note that the definition of global irreducibility as given in the paper does not include all globally irreducible representations in the sense of Gross, as happens to the faithful representation of degree 2 of the quaternion group \(Q_8\). However, in the case of \(\Sigma_n\) all versions of global irreducibility are the same.