Trivial factors for \(L\)-functions of symmetric products of Kloosterman sheaves (Q2426478)

Let \({\mathbb F}_q\) be a finite field of characteristic \(p\) with \(q\) elements, let \(l\) be a prime number different from \(p\). Let \(n\geq 2\) and let \(Kl_n\) denote the Kloosterman sheaf of rank \(n\) on \({\mathbb A}_{{\mathbb F}_q}^1-\{0\}\): for \(x\in({\mathbb A}_{{\mathbb F}_q}^1-\{0\})({\mathbb F}_{q^k})\) the trace of the geometric Frobenius \(F_x\) acting on the fibre of \(\text{Kl}_n\) at \(\bar{x}\) is \((-1)^{n-1}\) times the \((n-1)\)-dimensional Kloosterman sum \(\text{Kl}_n({\mathbb F}_{q^k},x)\). For \(k\in{\mathbb N}\) let \(L(k,n,T)\) denote the \(L\)-function of the \(k\)th symmetric product of \(\text{Kl}_n\) -- by the Theorem of Dwork and Grothendieck this is a rational function whose poles and zeros are Weil \(q\)-numbers. Let \(j:{\mathbb A}_{{\mathbb F}_q}^1-\{0\}\to{\mathbb P}_{{\mathbb F}_q}^1\) be the open immersion, then \[ \begin{multlined} L(k,n,T)=\\ =L({\mathbb P}_{{\mathbb F}_q}^1,j_*(\text{Sym}^k(\text{Kl}_n)),T)\det(1-F_0T,((\text{Sym}^k \text{Kl}_n)_{\bar{\eta}})^{I_0})\det(1-F_{\infty}T,((\text{Sym}^k \text{Kl}_n)_{\bar{\eta}})^{I_{\infty}})\end{multlined} \] where \(I_0\) (resp. \(I_{\infty}\)) is the inertia subgroup at \(0\) (resp. \(\infty\)), and \(F_0\) (resp. \(F_{\infty}\)) is the geometric Frobenius at \(0\) (resp. \(\infty\)). The factor \(\det(1-F_{\infty}T,((\text{Sym}^k \text{Kl}_n)_{\bar{\eta}})^{I_{\infty}})\) had been determined by the authors in [J. Reine Angew. Math. 589, 79--103 (2005; Zbl 1165.11331)]. Here they compute the factor \(\det(1-F_0T,((\text{Sym}^k \text{Kl}_n)_{\bar{\eta}})^{I_0})\), i.e. they provide a completely explicit formula for it. Moreover, the variation of these factors is analyzed if \(k\) varies \(p\)-adically, which raises interesting new questions on new, genuinely \(p\)-adic symmetric product \(L\)-functions associated with Kloosterman sums.