The points of a certain fivefold over finite fields and the twelfth power of the eta function (Q1604414)

For any prime \(p\) let \(N(p)\) denote the number of 6-tuples \((z,\lambda,x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4)\in{\mathbb F}_p^6\) for which \(z^2\equiv\prod_{i=1}^4 x_i(x_1-1)(x_i-\lambda)\pmod{p}\). The author shows that \(N(p)=p^5+2p^3-4p^2-9p-1-a(p)\) where \(a(p)\) is the \(p\)th coefficient of the power series \(q\prod_{n=1}^{\infty}(1-q^{2n})^{12}=q-12q^2+54q^2-88q^7+\cdots\). When \(q=e^{2\pi iz}\), the power series is the Fourier expansion of the weight 6 modular form \(\eta(2z)^{12}\). The author obtains his result by expressing \(N(p)\) in terms of elliptic curves over \({\mathbb F}_p\). The Eichler-Selberg trace formula relates this to the trace of the Hecke operator \(T_p\) on the space \(S_6(\Gamma_0(4))\). Since this space is 1-dimensional, the trace of \(T_p\) is equal to \(a(p)\) and the result follows.