The Brou\'e-Malle-Rouquier conjecture for the exceptional groups of rank 2

Abstract

Between 1994 and 1998, the work of M. Brou\'e, G. Malle, and R. Rouquier generalized in a natural way the definition of the Hecke algebra associated to a finite Coxeter group, for the case of an arbitrary complex reflection group. Attempting to also generalize the properties of the Coxeter case, they stated a number of conjectures concerning these Hecke algebras. One specific example of importance regarding those yet unsolved conjectures is the so-called BMR freeness conjecture. This conjecture is known to be true apart from 16 cases, that are almost all the exceptional groups of rank 2. These exceptional groups of rank 2 fall into three families: the tetrahedral, octahedral and icosahedral family. We prove the validity of the BMR freeness conjecture for the exceptional groups belonging to the first two families, using a case-by-case analysis and we give a nice description of the basis, similar to the classical case of the finite Coxeter groups. We also give a new consequence of this conjecture, by obtaining the classification of irreducible representations of the braid group on 3 strands in dimension at most 5, recovering results of Tuba and Wenzl.