Hilbert-Kunz functions in a family: Point-\(S_4\) quartics (Q1271125)

Let \(F[x,y,z]\) denote the polynomial ring over an algebraically closed field \(F\) of characteristic \(p >0.\) Let \(g \in F[x,y,z]\) denote a homogeneous polynomial of degree \(d > 0.\) For an integer \(n \geq 0\) the \(F\)-dimension of \(F[x,y,z]/(x^q,y^q,z^q,g)\), \(q = p^n,\) the Hilbert-Kunz function at the prime ideal \((x,y,z),\) is denoted by \(e_n.\) By the author's work [\textit{P. Monsky}, Math. Ann. 263, 509-514 (1983; Zbl 0514.12008)] it follows that \(e_n = c p^n +O(p^n)\) for some positive real \(c = c(g),\) the Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity. By the work of \textit{R.-O. Buchweitz} and \textit{Q. Chen} [J. Algebra 197, No. 1, 246-267 (1997; Zbl 0898.13009)] and the author [\textit{P. Monsky}, J. Algebra 197, No. 1, 268-277 (1997; Zbl 0898.13010)] it follows that \(e_n\) is completely known and \(c(g) = 9/4,\) provided \(d = 3\) and \(g\) is nonsingular. In general the question of how \(c(g)\) depends on the coefficients of \(g\) is a rather hard problem. In each characteristic the generic form of degree \(d\) has \(c = 3d/4.\) In this paper and his following work [\textit{P. Monsky}, J. Algebra 208, No. 1, 359-371 (1998; see the following review, Zbl 0932.13011)], the author considers the case of \(p = 2\) and \(d = 4,\) and of \(g\) with large linear automorphism groups. Let \(GL_3(F)\) naturally acting on \(F[x,y,z].\) For a subgroup \(G \subseteq GL_3(F)\) the polynomial \(g\) is called a \(G\)-quartic if \(g^{\sigma} = g\) for all \(\sigma \in G.\) It is called a \(S_4\)-quartic whenever it is a \(G\)-quartic for some \(G\) isomorphic to the symmetric group \(S_4.\) Firstly it is shown that the \(G \subseteq GL_3(F),\) isomorphic to \(S_4,\) fall into two conjugacy classes. A \(G\) in one of it is contained in the stabilizer of a \(1\)-dimensional subspace (the point-\(S_4\) case) and in another class stabilizes a \(2\)-dimensional subspace (the line-\(S_4\) case). In the point-\(S_4\) case it is shown that each non-degenerate \(G\)-quartic is a constant multiple of \(g_a = ax^2y^2 +P\), \(a \in F \setminus \{0\}\), \(P = z^4 +xyz^2 +(x^3 + y^3)z.\) Then there is a complete description of \(e_n.\) To this end define \(b\) by the equation \(a = b^2 + b.\) Then it follows that \(c = 3 + 4^{-m},\) where \(m\) denotes the degree of \(b\) over \(\mathbb Z/2\) whenever it is algebraic and \(\infty\) otherwise. That means, while the generic \(G\)-quartic has \(c = 3,\) special \(G\)-quartics have \(c > 3.\)