On the largest Brauer and \(p^\prime\)-character degrees (Q6162842)

Let \(K\) be a field of characteristic \(p > 0\). \textit{J. F. Humphreys} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 5, 233--234 (1972; Zbl 0238.20017)] proved that if \(G\) is a finite group and all irreducible representations over \(K\) of \(G\) have degree at most \(n\), then the order of \(G\) is bounded in terms of \(n\) and the order of a Sylow \(p\)-subgroup of \(G\). In the paper under review, the author improves Humphreys' theorem (see Theorem A) by proving that there exists a function \(f\) such that if \(G\) is a finite group and all irreducible representations of \(G\) over \(K\) have degree at most \(n\), then \(G\) has a characteristic \(p\)-abelian subgroup \(A\) such that \(|G : A| \leq f(n)\). (A group \(A\) is \(p\)-abelian if its derived subgroup \(A'\) is a \(p\)-group.) In Theorem B, the author proves that there exists a function \(f\) such that if \(G\) is a finite group and all characters in \(\mathrm{Irr}_{p'}(G)\) have degree at most \(n\), then \(G\) has a characteristic solvable \(p\)-nilpotent subgroup \(N\) such that \(|G : N| \leq f(n)\). Unlike Theorem A, Theorem B relies on the classification of finite simple groups.