For a finite abelian p -group G we have that G &#x2243;<!-- ≃ --> <mi mathvariant="bo

Payton Salazar

Payton Salazar

Answered question

2022-06-04

For a finite abelian p-group G we have that
G Z / ( p ) λ 1 Z / ( p ) λ r
for some positive integers λ 1 λ r . Note that G is uniquely determined by p and this partition λ = ( λ 1 , , λ r ), so let's call λ the type of G. For types λ, μ, and ν, define the Hall number g μ , ν λ ( p ) to be the number of normal subgroups N G of type ν such that G / N has type μ. These Hall numbers serve as the structure constants of an associative algebra called the Hall algebra.
It turns out that this algebra is commutative, i.e. g μ , ν λ ( p ) = g ν , μ λ ( p )ю The proof of this that I'm looking at, following the more general theory in MacDonald's Symmetric Functions and Hall Polynomials, goes like this: You realize that we're looking at the category of finite-length modules over Z p , the p-adic integers. The Prüfer p-group Z ( p ) is the injective hull of k = Z / ( p ) in this category, and the functor H o m ( , Z ( p ) ), via Matlis duality, gives you a bijection of the short exact sequences in question, so g μ , ν λ ( p ) = g ν , μ λ ( p ).
Proving this can also be approached by developing the theory of characters of finite abelian groups, section 3 in particular. But this is really the same approach in a different language: Z ( p ) plays the role of S 1 in this context. But in either approach, we're introducing some heavy stuff just to prove a fact about p-groups and partitions. Is there a elementary way to prove that g μ , ν λ ( p ) = g ν , μ λ ( p ) in the case of finite abelian p-groups?

Answer & Explanation

Easton Chambers

Easton Chambers

Beginner2022-06-05Added 2 answers

The commutativity of the Hall algebra is saying that you can 'turn short exact sequences around', so is essentially equivalent to having a duality. You don't necessarily need the Prüfer group, though. You can take the 'usual' injective Q / Z for abelian groups. Then H o m Z ( Z / p n Z , Q / Z ) Z / p n Z is clear, sending a homomorphism f to the image of the cyclic generator f ( 1 ).
In the 'algebraic' setting, rather than the 'number theoretic' setting, the same result holds. Here you are taking finite dimensional k [ t ]-modules on which t acts nilpotently; equivalently finite dimensional k [ [ t ] ] modules. In this case one can instead use the usual vector space duality D = H o m k ( , k ). When the field k is finite, the corresponding Hall algebra is symmetric.
oplodnjomqunfs

oplodnjomqunfs

Beginner2022-06-06Added 2 answers

You can replace Z ( p ) in the duality argument by its "finite approximation" Z / p N Z, where p N is an upper bound on the sizes of your p-groups. This makes everything more elementary (it is certainly a lot easier to prove that each group Z / p k Z is isomorphic to its " N-dual" group Hom ( Z / p k Z , Z / p N Z ) when k N).

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