Modularity of Maschke's octic and Calabi-Yau threefold (Q454874)

This paper proves the modularity of Maschke's octic surface \(S\), as well as the modularity of the two Calabi-Yau threefolds \(X\) and \(Y\) constructed from \(S\). \(X\) is the smooth Calabi-Yau threefold which is a double covering of \({\mathbb{P}}^3\) branched along \(S\). \(Y\) is the quotient of \(X\) by a suitable Heisenberg group \(H\). These varieties were constructed by Bini and van Geemen [``Geometry and arithmetic of Maschke's Calabi-Yau threefold'', Commun. Number Theory Phys. 5, No. 4, 827--847 (2011)], and their modularity was conjectured therein. For modular forms, notation from \textit{B. J. Birch} and \textit{W. Kuyk} (eds.) [Modular functions of one variable. IV. Proceedings of the international summer school, University of Antwerp, RUCA, July 17 - August 3, 1972. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1975; Zbl 0315.14014)] is employed, e.g., \(f120\) for weight \(4\) form; \(f15C, f24B, f120E\) for weight \(2\) forms, and \(V_{f,\ell}\) denotes the compatible system of the \(\ell\)-adic Galois representation associated to \(f\). Theorem 1. The Maschke Calabi-Yau threefold \(X\) is modular over \({\mathbb{Q}}\). The third cohomological Galois representation decomposes as \[ \begin{multlined} H^3_{\text{ét}}(X,{\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell}) \cong V_{f120,\ell}\oplus V_{f120E,\ell}(-1)^{32}\oplus (V_{f120E,\ell}(-1)\otimes\chi_{-1})^{18}\oplus V_{f24B,\ell}(-1)^{36}\\ \oplus (V_{f24B,\ell}(-1)\otimes \chi_{-1})^{18}\oplus V_{f15C,\ell}(-1)^{27}\oplus(V_{f15C,\ell}(-1)\otimes \chi_{-1})^{18}\end{multlined} \] where \(\chi_{-1}\) denotes the quadratic Dirichlet character of conductor \(4\). Theorem 2. The Calabi-Yau threefold \(Y\) is modular over \({\mathbb{Q}}\). The third cohomological Galois representation decomposes as \[ H^3_{\text{ét}}(Y,{\mathbb{Q}}_{\ell})\cong V_{f120,\ell}\oplus V_{f120E,\ell}(-1)^5 \oplus V_{f24B,\ell}(-1)^9. \] Proof of the two theorems is done decomposing the third cohomological Galois representations into direct sums of \(2\)-dimensional ones. A modularity of the surface \(S\) is also established, and the transcendental Galois representation decomposes into the direct sum of copies of various weight \(3\) forms ; \(f15\) of Schuett's weight \(3\) form, symmetric squares of the newform \(f1200\in S_2(\Gamma_0(1200),\chi_3)\) twisted by some quadratic characters. A method employed for establishing the modularity here is more geometric.