Algebr Represent Theor (2014) 17:305–320
DOI 10.1007/s10468-012-9400-0
Characterizing Finite Quasisimple Groups
by Their Complex Group Algebras
Hung Ngoc Nguyen · Hung P. Tong-Viet
Received: 25 June 2012 / Accepted: 12 December 2012 / Published online: 9 January 2013
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
Abstract A finite group L is said to be quasisimple if L is perfect and L/ Z ( L) is
nonabelian simple, in which case we also say that L is a cover of L/Z( L). It has
been proved recently (Nguyen, Israel J Math, 2013) that a quasisimple classical group
L is uniquely determined up to isomorphism by the structure of CL, the complex
group algebra of L, when L/Z( L) is not isomorphic to PSL
3
(4) or PSU
4
(3). In this
paper, we establish the similar result for these two open cases and also for covers
with nontrivial center of simple groups of exceptional Lie type and sporadic groups.
Together with the main results of Tong-Viet (Monatsh Math 166(3–4):559–577, 2012,
Algebr Represent Theor 15:379–389, 2012), we obtain that every quasisimple group
except covers of the alternating groups is uniquely determined up to isomorphism by
the structure of its complex group algebra.
Keywords Complex group algebras · Quasisimple groups · Exceptional groups ·
Groups of Lie type · Sporadic groups
Mathematics Subject Classifications (2010) Primary 20C33 · 20C15
Presented by: Alain Verschoren.
The second author is supported by a Startup Research Fund from the College of Agriculture,
Engineering and Science, the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
H. N. Nguyen
Department of Mathematics, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
e-mail: hungnguyen@uakron.edu
H. P. Tong-Viet (B )
School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
e-mail: Tongviet@ukzn.ac.za