Central Units, Class Sums and Characters of the Symmetric Group

Abstract

In the search for central units of a group algebra, we look at the class sums of the group algebra of the symmetric group S _n in characteristic zero, and we show that they are units in very special instances.

Key Words:

• Character
• Class sum
• Unit

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification:

• Primary 16U60, 20B30
• Secondary 20C15

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The first author was partially supported by MURST of Italy; the second author was partially supported by CNPq of Brazil.

Notes

Communicated by S. Sehgal.