On the rationality of Knörr's virtually irreducible lattices. (Q731927)

Let \(G\) be a finite group. For a complete discrete valuation ring \(R\) of characteristic zero with residue class field \(k\) of characteristic \(p>0\) and valuation \(v\), an \(RG\)-lattice \(M\) of rank \(r\) is said to be virtually irreducible [\textit{R. Knörr}, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 59, No. 1, 99-132 (1989; Zbl 0676.20006)] if \(v(r)\leq v(\text{tr\,}\alpha)\) for all \(\alpha\in\text{End}_{RG}(M)\), with equality if and only if \(\alpha\) is invertible. Recall that every absolutely irreducible lattice is virtually irreducible, while every virtually irreducible lattice is absolutely indecomposable; the class of virtually irreducible lattices is closed under Green correspondence, and the source of a virtually irreducible lattice is virtually irreducible if \(k\) is algebraically closed. Virtually irreducible lattices were invented partially as a means to prove Brauer's height zero conjecture. To this end, the hope would be that a virtually irreducible lattice of an Abelian \(p\)-group should have a rank which is not divisible by \(p\). In the above mentioned paper, however, Knörr already gave a counterexample of rank 6 for an elementary Abelian 2-group \(G\). The author elaborates on Knörr's method and gives some reason for the occurrence of such an example. He provides a rank estimation for certain virtually irreducible lattices over an elementary Abelian group of order 8.