The negative answer to Kameko's conjecture on the hit problem (Q5917952)

The mod \(2\) cohomology of an elementary abelian \(2\)-group of rank \(k\) is polynomial on \(k\) generators of degree one. The action of the mod \(2\) Steenrod algebra \(\mathcal A\) turns \(P_k=\mathbb F_2 [x_1, \dots, x_k]\) into an unstable module and a polynomial \(f\) in \(P_k\) is called \textit{hit} if it can be written as a finite sum of polynomials of the form \(Sq^i f_i\) with \(i>0\). Peterson's hit problem is to find a minimal set of generators for the \(\mathcal A\)-module \(P_k\), or equivalently a basis for the vector space \(\mathbb F_2 \otimes_{\mathcal A} P_k\). A conjecture made by Peterson was solved by \textit{R. M. W. Wood} in [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 105, No.~2, 307--309 (1989; Zbl 0692.55011)], who proved that, if there is an \(\mathcal A\)-module generator of \(P_k\) of degree \(d\), then the number of \(1\)'s in the \(2\)-adic expansion of \(d+k\) must be smaller than \(k\). Later, \textit{D. P. Carlisle} and \textit{R. M. W. Wood} proved that the number of generators in degree \(n\) is uniformly bounded by a number depending only on \(k\) [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 176, 203--216 (1992; Zbl 0753.55009)]. Peterson's explicit computations for \(k=1, 2\) led Kameko to conjecture that this bound is smaller than \(\prod_{i=1}^k (2^i-1)\). \textit{M. Kameko} proved this when \(k=3\) [J. Math. Kyoto Univ. 38, No.~3, 587--593 (1998; Zbl 0930.55007)] and the case \(k=4\) was solved independently by Kameko and the author. The main result of the article under review is that Kameko's conjecture is not true for any \(k>4\). The method is to find first an inductive formula on \(k\) describing the dimension of \(\mathbb F_2 \otimes_{\mathcal A} P_k\) in a given degree. A clever choice of degrees allows the author to find more generators than predicted in \(P_5\); they are coming from elements in the kernel of the dual of Kameko's squaring operation \(Sq^0\). The bound cannot hold either for larger values of \(k\) by a straightforward application of the inductive formula.