Irreducibility testing of finite nilpotent linear groups. (Q606660)

Let \(G\) be a finite subgroup of \(\text{GL}(V)\) where \(V\) is a finite dimensional vector space over a field \(K\). The author considers the problem of determining algorithmically when \(G\) is reducible. In the case \(K\) is finite, there is a Meat-Axe Las Vegas algorithm which effectively tests reducibility [see, for example, Section 7.4 of \textit{D. F. Holt, B. Eick}, and \textit{E. A. O'Brien}, Handbook of computational group theory. Discrete Mathematics and its Applications. Boca Raton: Chapman \& Hall/CRC Press (2005; Zbl 1091.20001)]. In the case where \(K\) is infinite, and in particular when \(\text{char}(K)=0\), only partial solutions are available. The author considers the special case where \(G\) is a finite nilpotent group over a field \(K\) of characteristic \(0\) satisfying certain mild conditions (number fields and rational function fields satisfy these conditions). The case where \(G\) is Abelian is dealt with in [\textit{B. Assmann} and \textit{B. Eick}, J. Symb. Comput. 40, No. 6, 1269-1284 (2005; Zbl 1124.20306)], so the author restricts himself to nonabelian nilpotent groups. For these groups, reducibility can be tested as follows. First, either we can find a noncyclic normal Abelian subgroup \(A\) of \(G\) or else prove that none exists. In the latter case, irreducibility can be determined by a simple direct test. On the other hand, if \(A\) is a noncyclic normal Abelian subgroup of \(G\), then either \(G\) can be shown to be reducible or we can construct a proper subspace \(U\) of \(V\) and a proper subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) such that \(H\) acts irreducibly on \(U\) if and only if \(G\) acts irreducibly on \(V\); in the latter case we have reduced the problem to one of smaller degree and can work recursively. The author notes that a similar strategy for irreducibility testing is used in [\textit{A. S. Detinko} and \textit{D. L. Flannery}, LMS J. Comput. Math. 9, 104-134 (2006; Zbl 1124.20034)] for nilpotent groups over finite fields, but that his method of locating the subgroup \(A\) is simpler. The irreducibility test is available as a \textsc{Magma}-package \textit{finn}.