Etale Galois coverings of degree \(p\) of the affine plane (Q1174741)

Artin-Schreier coverings \(\sigma:W\to V\) where the function field extension of \(k(W)\) over \(k(V)\) is of degree \(p>0\) are studied first. Let \(V=\mathbb{A}^ 2\), the affine 2-space, \(\sigma\) be étale and then \(W\) be defined by \(\tau^ p-\tau-f(x,t)=0\). There are three cases: (i) If \(\deg(f)\equiv 0\pmod p\), certain conditions on \(f\)'s non- singularity imply that \(W\) is non-singular. (ii) Let \(\deg(f)\equiv p-1\pmod p\). Here \(W\) has exactly \(d\) rational double points of type \(A_{p-1}\), given that the homogenization of \(f\) meets the line at infinity transversally. The same properties that hold for sheaves and their invariants in case (ii) hold here. (iii) Let \(\deg(f)\not\equiv 0, p-1\pmod p\). For a Gorenstein scheme \(W'\) there is a map \(\Psi:W'\to\mathbb{P}^ 2\). There is also a normalization map \(\pi:W''\to\mathbb{P}^ 2\) corresponding to the extension of \(k(W)\) by \(k(\mathbb{P}^ 2)\). The author fills in the exact sequence \(0\to\Psi_ *{\mathcal O}\to\pi_ *{\mathcal O}\to{\mathcal H}\to 0\) of sheaves over \(\mathbb{P}^ 2\) under the conditions of case (ii). The canonical sheaf of the minimal resolution \(N\) of singularities of \(W''\) is also determined. Independent of the cases above, if \(1+e=mp (0\leq e<p)\) and \(e=p-1\), then, with the hypothesis of case (ii) above, one has \(H^ 1(N,{\mathcal O}_ N)=0\) for \(m\geq p-1\).