Biset functors for finite groups (Q967132)

In recent years, there have been striking applications of the theory of biset functors, in particular to the description of the structure of the Dade group \(D(P)\) of endopermutation modules over a finite \(p\)-group \(P\), for a prime number \(p\). The book under review gives a concise introduction to this important tool, and explains its relevance. Let \(G\) and \(H\) be finite groups. An \(H-G\)-biset is a (finite) set, together with actions of \(G\) on the right and of \(H\) on the left such that both actions commute. These \(H-G\)-bisets form a category whose Grothendieck group \(B(H,G)\) is called a biset Burnside group. The author considers the biset category \(\mathcal{C}\) whose objects are the finite groups; moreover, for finite groups \(G\) and \(H\), a morphism from \(G\) to \(H\) in \(\mathcal{C}\) is an element in \(B(H,G)\), and the composition of morphisms is suitably defined. Certain subcategories of \(\mathcal{C}\) - called admissible or replete - are especially important. Let \(k\) be a commutative ring, and let \(\mathcal{D}\) be a preadditive subcategory of \(\mathcal{C}\). A biset functor over \(\mathcal{D}\) with values in \(k\)-Mod, the category of \(k\)-modules, is a \(k\)-linear functor from the category \(k\mathcal{D}\), obtained by extension of coefficients from \(\mathbb{Z}\) to \(k\), to \(k\)-Mod. Such biset functors form the objects of an abelian category denoted by \(\mathcal{F}_{\mathcal{D},k}\). Under suitable hypotheses, there exists an internal Hom-functor \((M,N) \mapsto \mathcal{H}(M,N)\) and an internal tensor product \((M,N) \mapsto M \otimes N\) on \(\mathcal{F}_{\mathcal{D},k}\). Important examples of biset functors are given by the Burnside group, various representation groups and group cohomology. The formalism of bisets allows to realize maps coming from restriction, induction, inflation or deflation. Under suitable hypotheses, the isomorphism classes of simple objects in \(\mathcal{F}_{\mathcal{D},k}\) are in bijection with isomorphism classes of pairs \((G,V)\) - called seeds - where \(G\) is an object in \(\mathcal{D}\) and \(V\) is a simple \(k\text{Out}(G)\)-module. This fact is applied, in particular, to the Burnside functor and to the functor \(\mathbb{C}R_{\mathbb{C}}\) coming from the complexified Grothendieck group. The main part of the book deals with the special case where \(\mathcal{D}\) is \(\mathcal{C}_p\), the biset category of finite \(p\)-groups. In this case the objects of \(\mathcal{F}_{\mathcal{D},k}\) are called \(p\)-biset functors. Let \(P\) be a finite \(p\)-group. We call a subgroup \(S\) of \(P\) genetic if \(N_P(S)/S\) has normal \(p\)-rank 1. There is an equivalence relation \(\widehat{-}_P\) on the set of genetic subgroups of \(P\), and a transversal for the equivalence classes is called a genetic basis of \(P\). Then each genetic basis of \(P\) is in bijection with the set of isomorphism classes of simple \(\mathbb{Q}P\)-modules. The author investigates rational \(p\)-biset functors; these have a certain decomposition with respect to a genetic basis. It is essential that subfunctors of a rational \(p\)-biset functor can be described in terms of finite \(p\)-groups of normal \(p\)-rank 1. This fact is applied to the rational \(p\)-biset functor \(R_{\mathbb{Q}}\) given by the group of rational representations, and to its dual functor \(R_{\mathbb{Q}}^*=\text{Hom}_{\mathbb{Z}}(R_{\mathbb{Q}}, \mathbb{Z})\). There is a natural morphism from the Burnside functor \(B\) to \(R_{\mathbb{Q}}\); its kernel is denoted by \(K\). Then, for a finite \(p\)-group \(P\), the group \(K(P)\) can be described in terms of sections of \(P\) which are elementary abelian of order \(p^2\), extraspecial of order \(p^3\), or dihedral. The correspondence \(P\mapsto D(P)\) coming from the Dade group is \textit{not} a \(p\)-biset functor. However, there is a closely related \(p\)-biset functor \(D^\Omega\), defined in terms of relative syzygies. This is related to other \(p\)-biset functors via short exact sequences \[ 0 \to R_{\mathbb{Q}}^* \to B^* \to D^{\Omega}/(D^{\Omega})_{\text{tors}} \to 0 \] and \[ 0 \to C_p \to B^* \to D^{\Omega} \to 0. \] These short exact sequences lead to a description of the structure of \(D(P)\) in terms of a genetic basis of \(P\), generalizing a result by \textit{E. C. Dade} [Ann. Math. (2) 108, 317--346 (1978; Zbl 0404.16003)].