Jordan correspondence and block distribution of characters

We complete the determination of the $\ell$-block distribution of characters for quasi-simple exceptional groups of Lie type up to some minor ambiguities relating to non-uniqueness of Jordan decomposition. For this, we first determine the $\ell$-block distribution for finite reductive groups whose ambient algebraic group defined in characteristic different from $\ell$ has connected centre. As a consequence we derive a compatibility between $\ell$-blocks, $e$-Harish-Chandra series and Jordan decomposition. Further we apply our results to complete the proof of Robinson's conjecture on defects of characters

Bounds for Hochschild cohomology of block algebras

We show that for any block algebra B of a finite group over an algebraically closed field of prime characteristic the dimension of HH^n(B) is bounded by a function depending only on the nonnegative integer n and the defect of B. The proof uses in particular a theorem of Brauer and Feit which implies the result for n=0.Comment: 6 page

Blocks with quaternion defect group over a 2-adic ring: the case \tilde{A}_4

Except for blocks with a cyclic or Klein four defect group, it is not known in general whether the Morita equivalence class of a block algebra over a field of prime characteristic determines that of the corresponding block algebra over a p-adic ring. We prove this to be the case when the defect group is quaternion of order 8 and the block algebra over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic 2 is Morita equivalent to $k\tilde A_4$. The main ingredients are Erdmann's classification of tame blocks and work of Cabanes and Picaronny on perfect isometries between tame blocks