Torsion endo-trivial modules (Q5926527)

Let \(k\) be a field of characteristic \(p>0\), and let \(G\) be a finite \(p\)-group. A \(kG\)-module \(M\) is called endo-trivial if \(\text{End}_k(M)\) is isomorphic to the direct sum of a trivial and a free \(kG\)-module. The set \(T(G)\) of indecomposable endo-trivial \(kG\)-modules carries the structure of a finitely generated Abelian group (coming from the tensor product). The torsion-free rank of \(T(G)\) was determined by \textit{J. L. Alperin} [J. Group Theory 4, No. 1, 3-10 (2001; Zbl 0972.20003)]. The work under review is concerned with the torsion in \(T(G)\). In particular, the authors conjecture that the torsion subgroup of \(T(G)\) is trivial when \(p\) is odd. In order to attack the problem for arbitrary \(p\) the authors consider the restriction map \(T(G)\to\prod_{E\in{\mathcal X}}T(E)\) for certain classes \(\mathcal X\) of subgroups of \(G\). They conjecture that this restriction map is injective when \(\mathcal X\) consists of the elementary Abelian \(p\)-subgroups of rank 2 in \(G\) (and in addition the quaternion subgroups of order 8 of \(G\) when \(p=2\)). The authors do not quite prove this but show a slightly weaker fact: The restriction map is injective when \(\mathcal X\) is a larger class of subgroups of \(G\) containing also certain extraspecial \(p\)-groups and groups which are called almost extraspecial.