Stanley-Reisner rings and the occurrence of the Steinberg representation in the hit problem (Q2080940)

Let \(p\) be a prime, let \(q\) be a power of \(p\) and let \(\mathbb{F}_{q}\) denote a finite field of \(q\) elements. Let \(V\) be an \(n\)-dimensional vector space over \(\mathbb{F}_{q}\) and let \(V^*\) be the dual of \(V\). The symmetric power algebra \(S(V^*)\) is identified with the graded polynomial algebra \(\mathbb{F}_{q}[x_{1},\dots,x_{n}]\) where \(x_{i}\) is of degree one, \(1 \leq i \leq n\). The algebra \(S(V^*)\) is naturally a \(GL_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{q})\)-module and it is also a module over the algebra \(\mathcal{P}\) of Steenrod reduced powers over \(\mathbb{F}_{q}\). The hit problem asks for the determination of the graded vector space \(Q(S(V^*)) = S(V^*) / \mathcal{P}^{+}.S(V^*)\), \(\mathcal{P}^{+}\) denoting the augmentation ideal of \(\mathcal{P}\). Since the actions of \(\mathcal{P}\) and \(GL_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{q})\) on \(S(V^*)\) commute, one is interested in studying \(Q(S(V^*))\) as a module over the group ring \(\mathbb{F}_{q}[GL_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{q})]\). \textit{G. Walker} and \textit{R. M. W. Wood} [Geom. Topol. Monogr. 11, 379--397 (2007; Zbl 1140.55014)] proved that, for \(q=2\), \(\big(Q(S(V^*)) \big)^{2^{n}-1-n}\) is isomorphic to the Steinberg representation of \(GL_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{2})\). The aim of this paper is to generalize this result for all \(\mathbb{F}_{q}\). The author presents a new approach which is valid for all finite fields by studying a family of finite quotient rings \(R(V^*,k)\), \(k \in \mathbb{N}^*\), of \(S(V^*)\). Using the work of \textit{M. Inoue} [Contemp. Math. 293, 125--139 (2002; Zbl 1022.55007)], the author proves that the Steinberg summand, \(\widetilde{R}(V^*,2)\), \(q=2\), of \(R(V^*,2)\), is decomposed into a direct sum of suspensions of Brown-Gitler modules. The author notes that this strongly suggests that there may exist a stable decomposition into a wedge of suspensions of Brown-Gitler spectra of the space whose mod \(2\) cohomology is \(\widetilde{R}(V^*,2)\).