Galois actions on blocks and classes of finite groups. (Q947490)

Let \(G\) be a finite group of order \(n\), and let \(\mathbb{Q}_n\) denote the \(n\)-th cyclotomic field. Then \(\Gamma:=\text{Gal}(\mathbb{Q}_n|\mathbb{Q})=(\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z})^\times\) acts on \(G\) (considered as a set) via \(g^\sigma:=g^i\) whenever \(g\in G\) and \(\sigma=i+n\mathbb{Z}\in\Gamma\). This induces actions on \(\text{Irr}(G)\), the set of irreducible ordinary characters of \(G\), and on \(\text{Cl}(G)\), the set of conjugacy classes of \(G\). It also induces an action of \(\Gamma\) on \(Z(FG)\), the center of the group algebra \(FG\) where \(F\) is an algebraically closed field of characteristic \(p>0\). In this way one also obtains an action of \(\Gamma\) on \(\text{Bl}(FG)\), the set of blocks of \(FG\). The authors prove several results on these actions. On the other hand, it is not always true that \(\Gamma\) acts on \(\text{IBr}(G)\), the set of irreducible Brauer characters of \(G\). The authors show that, if \(\sigma\in\Gamma\) has order \(p\) and \(\sigma(\text{IBr}(G))=\text{IBr}(G)\) then, for every \(\sigma\)-invariant \(\varphi\in\text{IBr}(G)\), there is a \(\sigma\)-invariant \(\chi\in\text{Irr}(G)\) such that the decomposition number \(d_{\chi\,\varphi}\) is not divisible by \(p\). This generalizes a result of Willems. The authors also consider the normal subgroup \(R_\sigma(G)\) generated by all \(p\)-regular elements of \(G\) contained in a \(\sigma\)-invariant conjugacy class, and they characterize the groups \(G\) with \(R_\sigma(G)=1\) (and those with \(|R_\sigma(G)|\not\equiv 0\pmod p\)).