Block Extensions, Local Categories and Basic Morita Equivalences

Let $(\mathcal{K},\mathcal{O},k)$ be a $p$-modular system where $p$ is a prime and $k$ algebraically closed, let $b$ be a $G$-invariant block of the normal subgroup $H$ of a finite group $G$, having defect pointed group $Q_\delta$ in $H$ and $P_\gamma$ in $G$ and consider the block extension $b\mathcal{O}G$. One may attach to $b$ an extended local category $\mathcal{E}_{(b,H,G)}$, a group extension $L$ of $Z(Q)$ by $N_G(Q_\delta )/C_H(Q)$ having $P$ as a Sylow $p$-subgroup, and a cohomology class $[\alpha ]\in H^2(N_G(Q_\delta )/QC_H(Q),k^\times )$. We prove that these objects are invariant under the $G/H$-graded basic Morita equivalences. Along the way, we give alternative proofs of the results of Külshammer and Puig (1990), and Puig and Zhou (2012) on extensions of nilpotent blocks. We also deduce by our methods a result of Zhou (2016) on $p^{\prime}$-extensions of inertial blocks.

On a Conjecture of G. Malle and G. Navarro on Nilpotent Blocks

In a recent article, G. Malle and G. Navarro conjectured that the $p$-blocks of a finite group all of whose height 0 characters have the same degree are exactly the nilpotent blocks defined by M. Broué and L. Puig. In this paper, we check that this conjecture holds for spin-blocks of the covering group $2.{\mathfrak A}_n$ of the alternating group ${\mathfrak A}_n$, thereby solving a case excluded from the study of quasi-simple groups by Malle and Navarro.