Primitive Central Idempotents of the Group Algebra

Abstract

An approach to representations of finite groups is presented without recourse to character theory. Considering the group algebra C[G] as an algebra of linear maps on C[G] (by left multiplication), we derive the primitive central idempotents as a simultaneous eigenbasis of the centre, Z(C[G]). We apply this framework to obtain the irreducible representations of a class of finite meta-abelian groups. In particular, we give a general construction of the isomorphism between simple blocks of C[G] and the corresponding matrix algebra where G can be any finite group.