On Hermite's invariant for binary quintics (Q2466508)

Let \(V\) be a \(\mathbb{C}\)-vector space with basis \(\left\{ x_{1} ,x_{2}\right\} ,\) and \(S_{m}=\)Sym\(^{m}V\) the \(\text{SL}\left( V\right) \)-representation consisting of binary \(m\)-adics in \(\left\{ x_{1},x_{2}\right\} .\) Let \(C\) be the image of the quadratic Veronese embedding \(\left[ c_{1}x_{1}+c_{2}x_{2}\right] \mapsto\left[ \left( c_{1}x_{1}+c_{2}x_{2}\right) ^{2}\right] :\mathbb{P}V\rightarrow \mathbb{P}S_{2}.\) For \(z\in\mathbb{P}^{2}\setminus C\), \(L_{1},L_{2}\) lines through \(z\) which intersect \(C\) in \(\left\{ a_{1},b_{1}\right\} \) and \(\left\{ a_{2},b_{2}\right\} \) respectively, and \(c\in C\) satisfying the property that the line containing \(c\) and \(z\) is tangent to \(C,\) one gets an effective divisor \(a_{1}+b_{1}+a_{2}+b_{2}+c\in\mathbb{P}^{5}\): through an isomorphism of \(\mathbb{P}^{5}\) with Sym\(^{5}C\) one can view this divisor as a binary quintic in \(\left\{ x_{1},x_{2}\right\} .\) As we vary \(z,\;L_{1},\) and \(L_{2}\) we obtain \(\mathcal{H}\), the closure in \(\mathbb{P}^{5}\) of the set of all such divisors. This \(\mathcal{H}\) is a hyperplane in \(\mathbb{P} ^{5}\) and an irreducible variety on which \(\text{SL}\left( V\right) \) acts via the action of \(\text{SL}\left( V\right) \) on \(\mathbb{P}^{5}.\) The equation of \(\mathcal{H}\) is an invariant of binary quintics, called the Hermite invariant and denoted \(\mathbb{H}.\) First, the authors study \(\mathcal{B},\) the singular locus of \(\mathcal{H}.\) This locus is shown to be the union of the \(\text{SL}\left( V\right) \)-orbits of the forms \(x_{1}^{5}+x_{2}^{5},\;x_{1}x_{2}\left( x_{1}-x_{2}\right) \left( x_{1}^{2}+x_{1}x_{2}+x_{2}\right) ^{2},\;\) and \(x_{1}^{3}x_{2}\left( x_{1}+x_{2}\right)\). Also, \(\mathcal{B}\) is of degree 25 and pure codimension 2 whose defining ideal is a complete intersection. From the canonical isomorphism of representations \(S_{m}\rightarrow S_{m}^{\ast}\) (where \(S_{m}^{\ast}=\text{Hom}_{\text{SL} \left( V\right) }\left( S_{m},S_{0}\right) \)) we obtain an isomorphism \(\sigma:\mathbb{P}^{5}\rightarrow\left( \mathbb{P}^{5}\right) ^{\ast}.\) For \(\left[ F\right] \in\mathcal{H\setminus B}\) and \(T_{\mathcal{H},\left[ F\right] }\) the tangent space to \(\mathcal{H}\) at \(\left[ F\right] \) the point \(\sigma^{-1}\left( T_{\mathcal{H},\left[ F\right] }\right) \) is the value of the evectant at \(F\), denoted \(\left[ \mathcal{E}_{\mathbb{H}}\left( F\right) \right] .\) It is shown that \(\left[ \mathcal{E}_{\mathbb{H} }\left( F\right) \right] \in\mathcal{H},\) and hence we get an involutive automorphism \(\mathcal{H\setminus B\rightarrow H\setminus B}\), and hence \(\mathcal{H}\) is naturally isomorphic to its dual variety. Let \(J\subset R:=\mathbb{C}\left[ a_{0},\dots,a_{5}\right] \) be the Jacobian ideal of \(\mathbb{H}.\) It is shown that \(J\) is a perfect ideal of height two and an \(\text{SL}_{2}\)-equivariant minimal resolution is constructed, and \(J\) fits unto a three-parameter family of perfect ideals. Finally, after a general discussion of evactants of covariants of binary forms, the evectant of \(\mathbb{H}\) is made explicit. For each \(Q=\left[ q_{0},q_{1},q_{2}\right] \in\mathbb{P}^{2}\) define \(\mathcal{F}_{Q} =x_{1}\left( q_{0}x_{1}^{4}+2q_{1}x_{1}^{2}x_{2}^{2}+q_{2}x_{2}^{4}\right) .\) Then we have \(\mathcal{E}_{\mathbb{H}}\left( \mathcal{F}_{Q}\right) =-2^{6}\left( 3.5\right) ^{-14}q_{2}^{3}\left( q_{0}q_{2}+3q_{1} ^{2}\right) ^{2}\left( 5q_{0}q_{2}-q_{1}^{2}\right) ^{4}\mathcal{F} _{Q^{\prime}}.\)