This is a clear, accessible and up-to-date exposition of modular representation theory of finite groups from a character-theoretic viewpoint. After a short review of the necessary background material, the early chapters introduce Brauer characters and blocks and develop their basic properties. The next three chapters study and prove Brauer's first, second and third main theorems in turn. These results are then applied to prove a major application of finite groups, the Glauberman Z*-theorem. Later chapters examine Brauer characters in more detail. The relationship between blocks and normal subgroups is also explored and the modular characters and blocks in p-solvable groups are discussed. Finally, the character theory of groups with a Sylow p-subgroup of order p is studied. Each chapter concludes with a set of problems. The book is aimed at graduate students, with some previous knowledge of ordinary character theory, and researchers studying the representation theory of finite groups.

Research text on algebra/representation theory.

Character theory is a powerful tool for understanding finite groups. In particular, the theory has been a key ingredient in the classification of finite simple groups. Characters are also of interest in their own right, and their properties are closely related to properties of the structure of the underlying group. The book begins by developing the module theory of complex group algebras. After the module-theoretic foundations are laid in the first chapter, the focus is primarily on characters. This enhances the accessibility of the material for students, which was a major consideration in the writing. Also with students in mind, a large number of problems are included, many of them quite challenging. In addition to the development of the basic theory (using a cleaner notation than previously), a number of more specialized topics are covered with accessible presentations. These include projective representations, the basics of the Schur index, irreducible character degrees and group structure, complex linear groups, exceptional characters, and a fairly extensive introduction to blocks and Brauer characters. This is a corrected reprint of the original 1976 version, later reprinted by Dover. Since 1976 it has become the standard reference for character theory, appearing in the bibliography of almost every research paper in the subject. It is largely self-contained, requiring of the reader only the most basic facts of linear algebra, group theory, Galois theory and ring and module theory.

Representation theory and character theory have proved essential in the study of finite simple groups since their early development by Frobenius. The author begins by presenting the foundations of character theory in a style accessible to advanced undergraduates that requires only a basic knowledge of group theory and general algebra. This theme is then expanded in a self-contained account providing an introduction to the application of character theory to the classification of simple groups. The book follows both strands of the theory: the exceptional characteristics of Suzuki and Feit and the block character theory of Brauer and includes refinements of original proofs that have become available as the subject has grown.

Through the fundamental work of Deligne and Lusztig in the 1970s, further developed mainly by Lusztig, the character theory of reductive groups over finite fields has grown into a rich and vast area of mathematics. It incorporates tools and methods from algebraic geometry, topology, combinatorics and computer algebra, and has since evolved substantially. With this book, the authors meet the need for a contemporary treatment, complementing in core areas the well-established books of Carter and Digne–Michel. Focusing on applications in finite group theory, the authors gather previously scattered results and allow the reader to get to grips with the large body of literature available on the subject, covering topics such as regular embeddings, the Jordan decomposition of characters, d-Harish–Chandra theory and Lusztig induction for unipotent characters. Requiring only a modest background in algebraic geometry, this useful reference is suitable for beginning graduate students as well as researchers.

Providing a nearly complete selection of up-to-date methods and results on block invariants with respect to their defect groups, this book covers the classical theory pioneered by Brauer, the modern theory of fusion systems introduced by Puig, the geometry of numbers developed by Minkowski, the classification of finite simple groups, and various computer assisted methods. In a powerful combination, these tools are applied to solve many special cases of famous open conjectures in the representation theory of finite groups. Most of the material is drawn from peer-reviewed journal articles, but there are also new previously unpublished results. In order to make the text self-contained, detailed proofs are given whenever possible. Several tables add to the text's usefulness as a reference. The book is aimed at experts in group theory or representation theory who may wish to make use of the presented ideas in their research.

The aim of the series is to present new and important developments in pure and applied mathematics. Well established in the community over two decades, it offers a large library of mathematics including several important classics. The volumes supply thorough and detailed expositions of the methods and ideas essential to the topics in question. In addition, they convey their relationships to other parts of mathematics. The series is addressed to advanced readers wishing to thoroughly study the topic. Editorial Board Lev Birbrair, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brasil Victor P. Maslov, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia Walter D. Neumann, Columbia University, New York, USA Markus J. Pflaum, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA Dierk Schleicher, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany