Paper 1, Section II, F

Representation Theory
Part II, 2009

Let GG be a finite group, and suppose GG acts on the finite sets X1,X2X_{1}, X_{2}. Define the permutation representation ρX1\rho_{X_{1}} corresponding to the action of GG on X1X_{1}, and compute its character πX1\pi_{X_{1}}. State and prove "Burnside's Lemma".

Let GG act on X1×X2X_{1} \times X_{2} via the usual diagonal action. Prove that the character inner product πX1,πX2\left\langle\pi_{X_{1}}, \pi_{X_{2}}\right\rangle is equal to the number of GG-orbits on X1×X2X_{1} \times X_{2}.

Hence, or otherwise, show that the general linear group GL2(q)\mathrm{GL}_{2}(q) of invertible 2×22 \times 2 matrices over the finite field of qq elements has an irreducible complex representation of dimension equal to qq.

Let SnS_{n} be the symmetric group acting on the set X={1,2,,n}X=\{1,2, \ldots, n\}. Denote by ZZ the set of all 2-element subsets {i,j}(ij)\{i, j\}(i \neq j) of elements of XX, with the natural action of SnS_{n}. If n4n \geqslant 4, decompose πZ\pi_{Z} into irreducible complex representations, and determine the dimension of each irreducible constituent. What can you say when n=3n=3 ?