Universal deformation rings need not be complete intersections (Q5896806)

Let \(k\) be a perfect field of characteristic \(2\), let \(W\) be the ring of infinite Witt vectors over \(k\), and let \(S_4\) be the symmetric group on \(4\) letters. Let \(V\) be a non-trivial irreducible \(kS_4\)-module of dimension \(2\). The authors prove that the universal deformation ring \(R(S_4,V)\) of \(V\) is isomorphic to \(W[[t]]/(t^2,2t)\). In particular, \(R(S_4,V)\) is not a complete intersection ring. They show that examples arise in arithmetic in the following way. There are infinitely many real quadratic fields \(F\) for which there is a mod 2 representation of the Galois group of the maximal unramified extension of \(F\) whose universal deformation ring is not a complete intersection.