\(G_2\) and hypergeometric sheaves (Q946871)

The author studies the appearence of the exceptional group \(G_2\) as the monodromy group attached to certain families of exponential sums over finite fields \(k\). Section 2 is devoted to a review of basic facts about hypergeometric sheaves on \(\mathbb{G}_m/k\) and their relation to exponential sums. For two nonnegative integers \((n,m)\) the notion of a hypergeometric sheaf of type \((n,m)\) is introduced here together with the notion of its arithmetic \(G_{\mathrm{arith}}\) and geometric \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}\) monodromy group. In section 3 the author studies the hypergeometric sheaves of types \((7,m)\) with \(7 \geq m\) whose \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}\) lies in \(G_2\), while sections 4 and 5 are devoted to the proof of theorem 3.1. In section 6 the author studies the hypergeometric sheaves of type \((7,m)\), \(7>m\) whose \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}\) lies in \(G_2\). Exact results about the determination of \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}\) inside \(G_2\) are stated in theorem 6.1. Section 7 is devoted to the proof of theorem 6.1. In section 8 a sheaf \(\mathcal{F}\) on \(\mathbb{G}_m/k\) is introduced, according to the values of the characteristic \(p\). The author states in theorem 9.1 that hypergeometric sheaves of type \((7,m)\) \(7>m\), formed using the additive character \(\psi\) of the finite field \(k\) and with \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}\) inside \(G_2\), have correspoding sheaf \(\mathcal{F}\) whose \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}=G_{\mathrm{arith}}=G_2\), unless \(p=13,3,2,7\). In the above mentioned exceptions \(G_{\mathrm{geom}}=G_{\mathrm{arith}}\) are explicitly described. It turns out that each of the five primitive irreducible subgroups of \(G_2\) occurs as the monodromy group of an essential unique hypergeometric sheaf in one single characteristic. Notice that there is a Corrigendum [Finite Fields Appl. 14, No. 3, 847 (2008; Zbl 1152.11348)] of the author where the proofs of Lemma 10.1 and Lemma 10.2 are corrected.