2-Groups, 2-Characters, and Burnside Rings

Abstract

We study 2-representations, i.e., actions of 2-groups on 2-vector spaces. Our main focus is character theory for 2-representations. To this end we employ the technique of extended Burnside rings. Our main theorem is that the Ganter-Kapranov 2-character is a particular mark homomorphism of the Burnside ring. As an application we give a new proof of Osorno formula for the Ganter-Kapranov 2-character of a finite group.

Version 2: minor corrections. Version 3: major revisions of the first half of the paper. Version 4: minor corrections