On the k(GV) problem (Q791631)

A famous conjecture by R. Brauer states that the number of irreducible characters in a block of a finite group is bounded by the order of its defect group. The paper under review completes the proof of this conjecture for the following cases: (1) the group has odd order, (2) the group is solvable and the block is a 2-block. By results of Fong and Nagao the problem reduces to the situation where the group is a semidirect product GV of an odd order group G with an elementary abelian p-group V such that G acts faithfully and irreducibly on V. In this case the aim is to show that \(k(GV)\leq | V|\) where k(GV) denotes the number of conjugacy classes of GV. This is what the author calls the ''k(GV) problem''. Let W be a primitive module for a subgroup H of G such that the G-module V is isomorphic to the induced module \(W^ G\). Earlier results by \textit{R. Knörr} [Ill. J. Math. 28, 181-210 (1984; reviewed above)] and the author [Can. J. Math. 35, 59-67 (1983; Zbl 0509.20002)] settle the cases where W has order p or the Fitting subgroup of \(H/C_ H(W)\) is abelian. In this paper the proof is obtained for the remaining case. The main tools are methods coming from Knörr's Habilitationsschrift and a result of \textit{T. Wolf} [Can. J. Math. 34, 1097-1111 (1982; Zbl 0476.20028)] on solvable completely reducible linear groups. The main theorem of this paper has also been obtained by R. Knörr, but the problem for arbitrary solvable groups seems to be open.