# Splitting fields of representations of generalized symmetric groups, 7

In this post, we discover which representations of the generalized symmetric group $G = S_n\ wr\ C_\ell = C_\ell^n\, >\!\!\lhd \, S_n$ can be realized over a given abelian extension of ${\mathbb{Q}}$.

Let $\theta_{\mu,\rho}\in G^*$ be the representation defined previously, where $\rho\in ((S_n)_\mu)^*$.

Let $K\subset {\mathbb{Q}}(\zeta_\ell)$ be a subfield, where $\zeta_\ell$ is a primitive $\ell^{th}$ root of unity. Assume $K$ contains the field generated by the values of the character of $\theta_{\mu,\rho}$. Assume $K/{\mathbb{Q}}$ is Galois and let $\Gamma_K=Gal({\mathbb{Q}}(\zeta_\ell)/K)$. Note if we regard $C_\ell$ as a subset of ${\mathbb{Q}}(\zeta_\ell)$ then there is an induced action of $\Gamma_K$ on $C_\ell$,

$\sigma:\mu \longmapsto \mu^\sigma, \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \mu\in (C_\ell)^*,\ \ \sigma\in \Gamma_K,$

where $\mu^\sigma(z)=\mu(\sigma^{-1}(z))$, $z\in C_\ell$. This action extends to an action on $(C_\ell^n)^*=(C_\ell^*)^n$.

Key Lemma:
In the notation above, $\theta_{\mu,\rho}\cong\theta_{\mu,\rho}^\sigma$ if and only if $\mu$ is equivalent to $\mu^\sigma$ under the action of $S_n$ on $(C_\ell^n)^*$.

Let

$n_\mu(\chi)=|\{i\ |\ 1\leq i\leq n,\ \mu_i=\chi\}|,$

where $\mu=(\mu_1,...,\mu_n)\in (C_\ell^n)^*$ and $\chi\in C_\ell^*$.

Theorem: The character of $\theta_{\mu,\rho}\in G^*$ has values in $K$ if and only if $n_\mu(\chi)=n_\mu(\chi^\sigma)$,
for all $\sigma\in \Gamma_K$ and all $\chi\in C_\ell^*$.

This theorem is proven in this paper.

We now determine the splitting field of any irreducible character of a generalized symmetric group.

Theorem: Let $\chi=tr(\theta_{\rho,\mu})$ be an irreducible character of $G=S_n\ wr\ C_\ell$. We have

$Gal({\mathbb{Q}}(\zeta_\ell)/{\mathbb{Q}}(\chi))= Stab_\Gamma(\chi).$

This theorem is also proven in this paper.

In the next post we shall give an example.

# Splitting fields of representations of generalized symmetric groups, 6

This post shall list some properties of the Schur index $m_F(G)$ in the case where $G = S_n\ wr\ C_\ell$ is a generalized symmetric group and $F$ is either the reals or rationals.

Let $\eta_k(z)=z^k$, for $z\in C_\ell$, $1\leq k\leq \ell$.

Theorem: Let $G = S_n\ wr\ C_\ell$. Let $\mu=(\eta_{e_1},...,\eta_{e_n})\in (C_\ell^n)^*$, for some $e_j\in \{0,...,\ell-1\}$, and let $\rho\in (S_n)_\mu^*$. Let
$\chi$ denotes the character of $\theta_{\mu,\rho}$.

1. Suppose that one of the following conditions holds:
1. $4|\ell$ and $\overline{e_1+...+e_n}$ divides $\overline{\ell/4}$ in ${\mathbb{Z}}/\ell {\mathbb{Z}}$, or
2. $(e_1+...+e_n,\ell)=1$,

Then $m_{\Bbb{Q}}(\chi)=1$.

2. Suppose that one of the following conditions holds:
1. $(n,\ell)=1$, $4|\ell$, and $(e_1+...+e_n)x\equiv \ell /4\ ({\rm mod}\ \ell)$ is not solvable, or
2. $(n,\ell)=1$ and $(e_1+...+e_n,\ell)>1$.

Then $m_{\mathbb{Q}}(\chi\eta_1)=1$.

This theorem is proven in this paper. Benard has shown that $m_{\mathbb{Q}}(\chi)=1$, for all $\chi$ as in the above theorem.

Since the Schur index over ${\mathbb{Q}}$ of any irreducible character $\chi$ of a generalized symmetric group $G$ is equal to $1$, each such character is associated to a representation $\pi$ all of whose matrix coefficients belong to the splitting field ${\mathbb{Q}}(\chi)$.

What is the splitting field ${\mathbb{Q}}(\chi)$, for $\chi\in G^*$?

This will be addressed in the next post.

# Splitting fields of representations of generalized symmetric groups, 5

It is a result of Benard (Schur indices and splitting fields of the unitary reflection groups, J. Algebra, 1976) that the Schur index over ${\mathbb{Q}}$ of any irreducible character of a generalized symmetric group is equal to $1$. This post recalls, for the sake of comparison with the literature, other results known about the Schur index in this case.

Suppose that $G$ is a finite group and $\pi \in G^*$ is an irreducible representation of $G$, $\pi :G\rightarrow Aut(V)$, for some complex vector space $V$. We say that $\pi$ may be realized over a subfield $F\subset {\mathbb{C}}$ if there is an $F$-vector space $V_0$ and an action of $G$ on $V_0$ such that $V$ and ${\mathbb{C}}\otimes V_0$ are equivalent representations of $G$, where $G$ acts on ${\mathbb{C}}\otimes V_0$ by “extending scalars” in $V_0$ from $F$ to ${\mathbb{C}}$. Such a representation is called an $F$-representation. In other words, $\pi$ is an $F$-representation provided it is equivalent to a representation which can be written down explicitly using matrices with entries in $F$.

Suppose that the character $\chi$ of $\pi$ has the property that

$\chi(g)\in F, \ \ \ \ \ \ \forall g\in G,$

for some subfield $F\subset {\mathbb{C}}$ independent of $g$. It is unfortunately true that, in general, $\pi$ is not necessarily an $F$-representation. However, what is remarkable is that, for some $m\geq 1$, there are $m$ representations, $\pi_1,...,\pi_m$, all equivalent to $\pi$, such that $\pi_1\oplus ...\oplus \pi_m$ is an $F$-representation. The precise theorem is the following remarkable fact.

Theorem: (Schur) Let $\chi$ be an irreducible character and let $F$ be any field containing the values of $\chi$. There is an integer $m \geq 1$ such that $m\chi$ is the character of an $F$-representation.

The smallest $m\geq 1$ in the above theorem is called the Schur index and denoted $m_F(\chi)$.

Next, we introduce some notation:

1. let ${\mathbb{R}}(\pi) = {\mathbb{R}}(\chi)$ denote the extension field of ${\mathbb{R}}$ obtained by adjoining all the values of $\chi(g)$\ ($g\in G$), where $\chi$ is the character of $\pi$,
2. let $\nu(\pi) = \nu(\chi)$ denote the Frobenius-Schur indicator of $\pi$ (so $\nu(\pi)= {1\over |G|}\sum_{g\in G} \chi(g^2)$),
3. let $m_{\mathbb{R}}(\pi) = m_{\mathbb{R}}(\chi)$ denote the Schur multiplier of $\pi$ (by definition, the smallest integer $m\geq 1$ such that $m\chi$ can be realized over ${\mathbb{R}}$ (this integer exists, by the above-mentioned theorem of Schur).

The following result shows how the Schur index behaves under induction (see Proposition 14.1.8 in G. Karpilovsky,
Group representations, vol. 3, 1994).

Proposition: Let $\chi$ be an irreducible character of $G$ and let $\psi$ denote an irreducible character of a subgroup $H$ of $G$. If $= 1$ then $m_{\Bbb{R}}(\chi)$ divides $m_{\Bbb{R}}(\psi)$.

A future post shall list some properties of the Schur index in the case where $G$ is a generalized symmetric group and $F$ is either the reals or rationals.