Low-dimensional representations of special unitary groups (Q5929358)

The authors study low degree representations of the special unitary groups \(\text{SU}_n(q)\) in characteristics not dividing \(q\). They show that the two smallest degrees for which there exist non-trivial representations are approximately \(q^{n-1}\), the representations in these degrees being given by the Weil representations. There is then a gap, with the next smallest degree representation occurring in a degree whose magnitude is \(q^{2n-4}\).