The zeta function of monomial deformations of Fermat hypersurfaces (Q1005850)

Let \(d\in\mathbb{N}\). The main object of study in this paper are families of Fermat hypersurfaces \[ X_\lambda: \sum^n_{i=0} x^{d_i}_i+ \lambda\prod^n_{i=0} x^{a_i}_i,\quad\lambda\in \mathbb{F}_q, \] defined over the finite field \(\mathbb{F}_q\) of \(q\) elements. Here \(d_i\) is a natural number and \(a_i\) is a nonnegative integer, satisfying the conditions: \(d_iw_i= d\) for \(0\leq i\leq n\) and \(\sum^n_{i=0} w_i a_i= d\), so that \(X_\lambda\) may be regarded as a subvariety of the weighted projective space \(\mathbb{P}(w_0,\dots, w_n)\); moreover, it is assumed that h.c.f. \((q, d)= 1\). The main technical result of the paper implies that the \(p\)-adic Picard-Fuchs equation, associated with the family \(X_\lambda\), is a generalised hypergeometric differential equation. The author discusses the Frobenius action on the cohomology of Fermat hypersurfaces and proves some results on the structure of the zeta function of a monomial deformation of such a hypersurface. As a by-product of his investigations, the author extends and improves on some results of \textit{S. Kadir} and \textit{N. Yui} [Motives and mirror symmetry for Calabi-Yau orbifolds. Modular forms and string duality, Fields Institute Communications 54, 3--46 (2008; Zbl 1167.14023)].