Inequalities for finite group permutation modules

Abstract

If f is a nonzero complex-valued function defined on a finite abelian group A and \hat f is its Fourier transform, then |Supp (f)||Supp {\hat f)| \ge |A|, where Supp (f) and Supp (\hat f) are the supports of f and \hat f. In this paper we generalize this known result in several directions. In particular, we prove an analogous inequality where the abelian group A is replaced by a transitive right G-set, where G is an arbitrary finite group. We obtain stronger inequalities when the G-set is primitive and we determine the primitive groups for which equality holds. We also explore connections between inequalities of this type and a result of Chebotar\"ev on complex roots of unity, and we thereby obtain a new proof of Chebotar\"ev's theorem.