Symmetry preserving degenerations of the generic symmetric matrix (Q1714859)

Let $\mathbf{k}$ be a field of characteristic zero, $m$ be an integer with $3\le m$, $S$ be the polynomial ring $\mathbf{k}[x_{i,j}\mid 1\le i\le j\le m]$, and $\mathcal S$ be the $m\times m$ symmetric matrix with $x_{i,j}$ in row $i$ and column $j$ for $1\le i\le j\le m$. This paper is concerned with two specializations of $\mathcal S$. In one specialization, $x_{m-1,m-1}$ is set equal to $x_{m,m}$. In the other specialization, the bottom right hand corner of $\mathcal S$ is set equal to zero. Let $R$ be the polynomial ring which is the image of $S$ under the specialization. \par For each specialization various algebraic and geometric objects are considered. Let $f$ be the determinant of $\mathcal S$ after specialization, $h(f)$ be the Hessian matrix of second order partial derivatives of $f$, $J$ be the ideal generated by the partial derivatives of $f$, and $P$ be the ideal generated by the $(m-1)\times (m-1)$ minors of the specialization. The ``polar map'' defined by the partial derivatives of $f$, the image, $V(f)$, of the polar map, and the dual variety, $V(f)^*$, of $V(f)$ are also studied. \par Some of the questions that are answered include the following. What is the codimension of $J$? Is $J$ contained in $P$? What are the properties of the hypersurface ring $R/(f)$? Is it a domain? Is it normal? Does the determinant of $h(f)$ vanish? How many linear relations are there on the generators of $J$? Is the polar map birational? What are the properties of $R/P$? Is it Cohen-Macaulay? Is it a domain? Is it normal? What is its codimension? What properties does that rational map of projective spaces which is defined by the generators of $P$ have? Is it birational? What are the defining equations of its image? What is the homogeneous coordinate ring of the polar variety? What is the analytic spread of $J$? What is the dimension of $V(f)^*$? Is $V(f)^*$ arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay? When is $V(f)^*$ arithmetically Gorenstein? \par The analogous program for generic matrices, rather than generic symmetric matrices, is carried out in [\textit{R. Cunha} et al., Int. J. Algebra Comput. 28, No. 7, 1255--1297 (2018; Zbl 1403.13020)].