On Modular Invariants of Truncated Polynomial Rings

Abstract

Modular Invariant Theory is a branch of mathematics that explores the behavior of polynomial functions invariant under group actions, particularly over fields with positive characteristic. Overall, modular invariant theory serves as a vital link connecting algebraic methods with combinatorial and topological applications. Based on the existing literature, this undergraduate thesis aims to investigate conjectures and problems emerging from the work of Macdonald (1992), and the recent work of Lewis, Reiner, and Stanton (2017), as well as subsequent developments by L. M. Ha, N. D. H. Hai, and N. V. Nghia (2024). In particular, we state and prove a generalization of Conjecture (7.25) by Macdonald (1992), leading to an extension of the Stong-Tamagawa formula, which is a basis-free characterization of Schur functions over finite fields. Besides, we examine conjectures by Lewis-Reiner-Stanton (2017) about invariant spaces of truncated polynomial algebras under the action of parabolic subgroups, and the proof for the Borel subgroups by Ha, Hai, and Nghia (2024), from which we extend the investigation to the invariant rings under the unipotent group's action. Additionally, we consider the delta operators-a pivotal family of operators used in the proof of Ha, Hai, and Nghia (2024)-with particular attention to their polynomiality properties.