The Adams operations $psi_Lambda^n$ and $psi_S^n$ on the Green ring of a group $G$ over a field $K$ provide a framework for the study of the exterior powers and symmetric powers of $KG$-modules. When $G$ is finite and $K$ has prime characteristic $p$ we show that $psi_Lambda^n$ and $psi_S^n$ are periodic in $n$ if and only if the Sylow $p$-subgroups of $G$ are cyclic. In the case where $G$ is a cyclic $p$-group we find the minimum periods and use recent work of Symonds to express $psi_S^n$ in terms of $psi_Lambda^n$.
We consider the Green ring $R_{KC}$ for a cyclic $p$-group $C$ over a field $K$ of prime characteristic $p$ and determine the Adams operations $psi^n$ in the case where $n$ is not divisible by $p$. This gives information on the decomposition into indecomposables of exterior powers and symmetric powers of $KC$-modules.
We prove that if $B$ is a $p$-block with non-trivial defect group $D$ of a finite $p$-solvable group $G$, then $ell(B) < p^r$, where $r$ is the sectional rank of $D$. We remark that there are infinitely many $p$-blocks $B$ with non-Abelian defect groups and $ell(B) = p^r - 1$. We conjecture that the inequality $ell(B) leq p^r$ holds for an arbitrary $p$-block with defect group of sectional rank $r$. We show this to hold for a large class of $p$-blocks of various families of quasi-simple and nearly simple groups.
We prove that exterior powers of (skew-)symmetric bundles induce a $lambda$-ring structure on the ring $GW^0(X) oplus GW^2(X)$, when $X$ is a scheme where $2$ is invertible. Using this structure, we define stable Adams operations on Hermitian $K$-theory. As a byproduct of our methods, we also compute the ternary laws associated to Hermitian $K$-theory.
A p-local compact group is an algebraic object modelled on the p-local homotopy theory of classifying spaces of compact Lie groups and p-compact groups. In the study of these objects unstable Adams operations, are of fundamental importance. In this paper we define unstable Adams operations within the theory of p-local compact groups, and show that such operations exist under rather mild conditions. More precisely, we prove that for a given p-local compact group G and a sufficiently large positive integer $m$, there exists an injective group homomorphism from the group of p-adic units which are congruent to 1 modulo p^m to the group of unstable Adams operations on G
A $p$-local compact group is an algebraic object modelled on the homotopy theory associated with $p$-completed classifying spaces of compact Lie groups and p-compact groups. In particular $p$-local compact groups give a unified framework in which one may study $p$-completed classifying spaces from an algebraic and homotopy theoretic point of view. Like connected compact Lie groups and p-compact groups, $p$-local compact groups admit unstable Adams operations - self equivalences that are characterised by their cohomological effect. Unstable Adams operations on $p$-local compact groups were constructed in a previous paper by F. Junod and the authors. In the current paper we study groups of unstable operations from a geometric and algebraic point of view. We give a precise description of the relationship between algebraic and geometric operations, and show that under some conditions unstable Adams operations are determined by their degree. We also examine a particularly well behaved subgroup of operations.