On \(\operatorname{Alt}(n)\)-modules with an additive dimension when \(n \leq 6\) (Q6839436)

Working in the setting of modules with an additive dimension introduced in [J. Algebra 623, 1--33 (2023; Zbl 1528.20013)], the authors study faithful \(\mathrm{Alt}(n)\)-modules of minimal dimension for \(n\leq 6\). This framework extends the classical theory of finite-dimensional \(G\)-modules to more general contexts admitting a well-behaved additive notion of dimension and is intended as a setting for first-order representation theory. They complete the determination of the minimal dimension in the cases left open before and prove, in particular, that if \(V\in \mathrm{Mod}(\mathrm{Alt}(n),d)\) is faithful, then \(d\geq 2\) for \(n=5\) and \(d\geq 3\) for \(n=6\); moreover, in the extremal cases the characteristic is severely restricted. The paper also gives information for \(n=4\) and discusses the corresponding completed table of minimal dimensions.\N\NA second main result identifies the minimal modules in three exceptional cases arising from the isomorphisms \(\mathrm{Alt}(5)\cong \mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb F_4)\), \(\mathrm{Alt}(5)\cong \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb F_5)\) and \(\mathrm{Alt}(6)\cong \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb F_9)\). More precisely, faithful modules in \(\mathrm{Mod}(\mathrm{Alt}(5),2,2)\) are shown to be natural \(2\)-dimensional modules, whereas faithful modules in \(\mathrm{Mod}(\mathrm{Alt}(5),3,5)\) and \(\mathrm{Mod}(\mathrm{Alt}(6),3,3)\) are recognized as adjoint modules of the corresponding \(2\times 2\) linear groups. The paper also records the remaining open classification problems for minimal faithful modules and briefly treats the smallest symmetric-group cases.