Hilbert-Kunz functions of \(2\times 2\) determinantal rings (Q2509823)

Let \(R\) be a ring of characteristic \(p >0\) and \(q = p^e\). Introduced by \textit{E. Kunz} [Am. J. Math. 98, 999--1013 (1976; Zbl 0341.13009)], the Hilbert-Kunz function \(\mathrm{HK}_{M,I(q)}\) is the \(R\)-module length of \(M/I^{[q]}M\), where \(I\) is a zero-dimensional ideal, \(M\) is a finitely generated \(R\)-module, and \(I^{[q]}\) is the ideal generated by the \(q\)th powers of elements of a generating set of \(I\). There are examples which show that the Hilbert-Kunz function is not a polynomial function. However, letting \(d = \dim M\), a theorem due to \textit{P. Monsky} [Math. Ann. 263, 43--49 (1983; Zbl 0509.13023)] says that \[ \mathrm{HK}_{M,I}(q) = cq^d + O(q^{d-1}) \] for a real constant \(c\). The constant \(c\) is known as the Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity of \(M\) with respect to \(I\) and is denoted \(e_{\mathrm{HK}}(I;M)\). The Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity is difficult to compute in general. \smallskip This paper studies the generalized Hilbert-Kunz function of a quotient of a polynomial ring in \(m \cdot n\) variables \(x_{i,j}\) over a field \(k\) (of arbitrary characteristic) modulo the ideal \(I_2(X)\) generated by the \(2 \times 2\) minors of the generic \(m \times n\) matrix \(X = [x_{i,j}]\). That is, the paper studies the function \[ \mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q) = \lambda \left(\frac{k[X]}{I_2(I) + \mathfrak{m}^{[q]}} \right), \] where \(k[X] = k[x_{i,j} : i = 1, \ldots, m; j = 1, \ldots, n]\), \(q\) varies over all non-negative integers, \(\mathfrak{m}^{[q]} = (x_{i,j}^q)\) and \(\lambda\) denotes length. \smallskip The authors work with special sets of monomials called \(q\)-stairs. Doing so they find a minimal reduced Gröbner basis for \(I_2(X) + \mathfrak{m}^{[q]}\). As a result, \(\mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q)\) is the number of monomials in \(k[X]\) that are not divisible by the leading term of any element of the Gröbner basis of the ideal \(I_2(X) + \mathfrak{m}^{[q]}\). The authors use these results to give a recursion to compute \(\mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q)\). One consequence of this recursion is that \(\mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q)\) is a polynomial in \(q\). The authors then provide closed formulas for \(\mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q)\) when \(m \leq 2\). In particular, for the \(2 \times n\) matrix \(X\) with \(n \geq 2\), it is shown that \[ \mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q) = \frac{nq^{n+1} - (n-2)q^n}{2} + n \binom{n+q-1}{n+1} \] and that \[ \displaystyle e_{\mathrm{HK}}(k[X]/I_2(X); \mathfrak{m}) := \lim_{q \rightarrow \infty} \frac{\mathrm{HK}_{k[X]/I_2(X), \mathfrak{m}}(q)}{q^{m+n-1}} = \frac{n}{2} + \frac{n}{(n+1)!} \] where \(e_{\mathrm{HK}}(k[X]/I_2(X); \mathfrak{m})\) is the (generalized) Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity of \(k[X]/I_2(X)\) with respect to \(\mathfrak{m}\). The paper is largely computational in nature with an appendix of useful binomial formuals.