On representations of general linear groups over principal ideal local rings of length two

We study the irreducible complex representations of general linear groups over principal ideal local rings of length two with a fixed finite residue field. We construct a canonical correspondence between the irreducible representations of all such groups that preserves dimensions. For general linear groups of order three and four over these rings, we construct all the irreducible representations. We show that the problem of constructing all the irreducible representations of all general linear groups over these rings is not easier than the problem of constructing all the irreducible representations of all general linear groups over principal ideal local rings of arbitrary length in the function field case. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.