Decomposition matrices for exceptional groups at d=4

Abstract

We determine the decomposition matrices of unipotent $\ell$-blocks of defect $\Phi_4^2$ for exceptional groups of Lie type up to a few unknowns. For this we employ the new cohomological methods of the first author, together with properties of generalized Gelfand-Graev characters which were recently shown to hold whenever the underlying characteristic is good.