The direct summand property in modular invariant theory (Q2575308)

Suppose \(G\) is a finite group of linear automorphisms of a finite dimensional vector space \(V\) over a field \(k\) of characteristic \(p\geq 0\). There is an induced action of \(G\) by algebra automorphisms on \(k[V]\), the symmetric algebra on the dual of \(V\). The ring of invariants is the subring of \(k[V]\) consisting of the polynomials fixed by \(G\), i.e., \(k[V]^G:=\{f\in k[V]\mid g(f)=f\}\). If \(| G| \) is a unit in \(k\), the Reynolds operator, \[ \pi(f):=| G| ^{-1}\sum_{g\in G}g(f), \] gives a splitting of \(k[V]^G\) off of \(k[V]\). In this case, \(k[V]=k[V]^G\oplus \text{ kernel}(\pi)\) as both a \(k[V]^G\)-module and a \(kG\)-module. In the modular case, when \(p\) divides \(| G| \), the Reynolds operator is not defined and \(k[V]^G\) may fail to be a direct summand of \(k[V]\) either as a \(k[V]^G\)-module or a \(kG\)-module. This paper gives a characterisation, in terms of the Dedekind different of the integral extension \(k[V]^G\subseteq k[V]\), of the modular representations for which \(k[V]^G\) is a graded direct \(k[V]^G\)-summand of \(k[V]\). For \(G\) a \(p\)-group, this characterisation implies that \(k[V]^G\) is a graded direct \(k[V]^G\)-summand of \(k[V]\) if and only if the image of the transfer, \(\{\sum_{g\in G}g(f)\mid f \in k[V]\}\), is a principal ideal in \(k[V]^G\). If \(k[V]^G\) is a polynomial ring, i.e., the ring of invariants has an algebraically independent generating set, then it is easy to show that \(k[V]^G\) is a graded direct \(k[V]^G\)-summand of \(k[V]\). \textit{R. J. Shank} and \textit{D. L. Wehlau} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 142, No. 1, 63--77 (1999; Zbl 0942.13008)] conjectured that for \(G\) a \(p\)-group, \(k[V]^G\) is a polynomial ring if and only if the image of the transfer is principal. The results of this paper give ``polynomial \(\Rightarrow\) principal''. The author's Conjecture 1, \(k[V]^G\) is polynomial if \(G\) is generated by reflections and \(k[V]^G\) is a direct \(k[V]^G\)-summand of \(k[V]\), would give the other direction. Many of the results are formulated in a more general setting and then applied to modular invariant theory. There is a section on semi-invariants using a ``twisted'' Dedekind different and a section on duality and the canonical module. The author also shows that if \(k[V]^G\) is a direct graded \(k[V]^G\)-summand of \(k[V]\) then \(k[V]^G\) is generated by homogeneous polynomials of degree at most \(| G| \), i.e., the Noether bound holds whenever \(k[V]^G\) is a direct summand of \(k[V]\).