Modular forms of the fourth degree. (Remark on a paper of Harris and Morrison) (Q4027693)

[For the entire collection see Zbl 0744.00029.] Each Siegel modular form \(f(\tau)\) of degree \(g\) and weight \(k\) possesses a Fourier-Jacobi expansion of the form \[ f(\tau)=\sum^ \infty_{\mu=0} a_ \mu(\tau',z) e^{2\pi i\mu w},\quad\tau=\begin{pmatrix}\tau'&z\\t_ z&w\end{pmatrix}, \] where \(w\) belongs to the upper half-plane in \(\mathbb{C}\). It is well-known that there exists a constant \(\rho_ g\) such that \(f\) vanishes identically whenever \(a_ \mu(\tau',z)\equiv 0\) for all \(\mu\leq k/\rho_ g\). The precise values of \(\rho_ g\) were known for \(g=1,2,3\). The author demonstrates \(\rho_ 4=8\) as an application of results of \textit{J. Harris} and \textit{I. Morrison} [Invent. Math. 99, 321-355 (1990; Zbl 0705.14026)]. Moreover he shows that there essentially exists only one modular form with \(a_ \mu(\tau',z)\not\equiv 0\) for \(8\mu=k\), namely Schottky's polynomial \(J(\tau)\). The geometric meaning of \(\rho_ g\) as a slope in a particular moduli space is explained.