Recursive sequences attached to modular representations of finite groups

Abstract

The core of a finite-dimensional modular representation $M$ of a finite group $G$ is its largest non-projective summand. We prove that the dimensions of the cores of $M^{\otimes n}$ have algebraic Hilbert series when $M$ is Omega-algebraic, in the sense that the non-projective summands of $M^{\otimes n}$ fall into finitely many orbits under the action of the syzygy operator $\Omega$. Similarly, we prove that these dimension sequences are eventually linearly recursive when $M$ is what we term $\Omega^{+}$-algebraic. This partially answers a conjecture by Benson and Symonds. Along the way, we also prove a number of auxiliary permanence results for linear recurrence under operations on multi-variable sequences.