Rational representations and permutation representations of finite groups
arXiv:1405.6616 · doi:10.1007/s00208-015-1223-y
Abstract
We investigate the question which Q-valued characters and characters of Q-representations of finite groups are Z-linear combinations of permutation characters. This question is known to reduce to that for quasi-elementary groups, and we give a solution in that case. As one of the applications, we exhibit a family of simple groups with rational representations whose smallest multiple that is a permutation representation can be arbitrarily large.
16 pages; minor improvements and corrections. To appear in Math. Ann