Parametrization of ideal classes in rings associated to binary forms (Q2450182)

This article discusses parametrizations of ideal classes in the rings associated to binary \(n\)-ic forms, over both \(\mathbb Z\) and an arbitrary base scheme \(S\). Given an integral binary \(n\)-ic form \(f\), there is a naturally associated ring \(R_f\) of rank \(n\) (i.e., isomorphic to \(\mathbb Z^n\) as a \(\mathbb Z\)-module), with \(R_f\)-modules \(I_f\) and \(J_f\). These are constructed geometrically, there is also an equivalent but it requires a more concrete construction. The first result gives a parametrization of the ideal classes of \(R_f\) by classes of tensors in \(\mathbb Z^2\otimes\mathbb Z^n\otimes\mathbb Z^n\), whose elements may be represented as pairs \(A=(A_1,A_2)\) of \(n\times n\) matrices. Let \(\text{Det}(A)\) be the binary \(n\)-ic form \(\text{Det}(A_1x+A_2y)\) and let \(G\) be the subgroup of elements \((g_1,g_2)\in \text{GL}_n(\mathbb Z)\times\text{GL}_n(\mathbb Z)\) such that \(\text{Det}(g_1)\text{Det}(g_2)=1\). We then have the following simplified version of the main theorem: For a primitive nondegenerate binary \(n\)-ic form \(f\) with coefficients in \(\mathbb Z\), there is a bijection between the \(G\)-classes of \(A\in\mathbb Z^2\otimes\mathbb Z^n\otimes\mathbb Z^n\) such that \(\text{Det}(A)=f\) and the ideal classes of \(R_f\) (Theorem 1.1). A symmetric version of this relates the symmetric elements of \(\mathbb Z^2\otimes\mathbb Z^n\otimes\mathbb Z^n\) to the \(2\)-part of the class group \(R_f\) (Theorem 1.3). The notion of a balanced pair of modules for \(f\) is essential for more general results and several equivalent definitions are discussed in Section 5. The main theorem (Theorem 3.1) gives, for \(f\) an integral binary \(n\)-ic form, a bijection between the \(A\in\mathbb Z^2\otimes\mathbb Z^n\otimes\mathbb Z^n\) such that \(\text{Det}(A)=f\) and the balanced pairs \((M,N)\) of modules for \(f\), as well as an isomorphism between the \(G\)-classes of \(A\in\mathbb Z^2\otimes\mathbb Z^n\otimes\mathbb Z^n\) such that \(\text{Det}(A)=f\) and the isomorphism classes of balanced pairs \((M,N)\) of modules for \(f\). (Here the construction of the pair \((M,N)\) from an element of \(\mathbb Z^2\otimes\mathbb Z^n\otimes\mathbb Z^n\) is algebraic, but an equivalent geometric construction is also given in Section 7.) In Section 6, the author proves versions of the main results over an arbitrary base scheme \(S\). Theorem 1.4 (as Theorem 6.2) gives a bijection between isomorphism classes of balanced pairs of modules for \(f\) and isomorphism classes of \(A\in V\otimes U\otimes W\), where \(U, W\) are locally free rank \(n\) \(\mathcal{O}_S\)-modules with an isomorphism \(\wedge^nU\otimes\wedge^nW\cong L\) such that \(\text{Det}(A)=f\). Theorem 6.3 is a symmetric version of this. From a \(p\in V\otimes U\otimes W\) the author gives two constructions of the corresponding ideal classes or modules. The first is algebraic and explicit (Section 6), while the second is geometric and intuitive (Section 8).