Galois representations modulo 𝑝 that do not lift modulo 𝑝²

For every finite group <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper H"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">H</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> and every finite <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper H"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">H</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-module <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, we determine the subgroup of negligible classes in <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper H squared left-parenthesis upper H comma upper A right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msup> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">H^2(H,A)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, in the sense of Serre, over fields with enough roots of unity. As a consequence, we show that for every odd prime <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="p"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">p</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, every integer <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="n greater-than-or-equal-to 3"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mo>≥</mml:mo> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">n\geq 3</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, and every field <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper F"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">F</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> containing a primitive <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="p"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">p</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-th root of unity, there exists a continuous <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-dimensional mod <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="p"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">p</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> representation of the absolute Galois group of <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper F left-parenthesis x 1 comma ellipsis comma x Subscript p Baseline right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>x</mml:mi> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:mo>…</mml:mo> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>x</mml:mi> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">F(x_1,\dots ,x_p)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> which does not lift modulo <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="p squared"> <mml:semantics> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msup> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">p^2</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>. This answers a question of Khare and Serre, and disproves a conjecture of Florence.