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We consider ideals in a polynomial ring generated by collections of power sum polynomials, and obtain conditions under which these define complete intersection rings, normal domains, and unique factorization domains. We also settle a key case of a conjecture of Conca, Krattenthaler, and Watanabe, and prove other results in that direction.

For $K$ an infinite field of characteristic other than two, consider the action of the special orthogonal group $\operatorname{SO}_t(K)$ on a polynomial ring via copies of the regular representation. When $K$ has characteristic zero, Boutot's theorem implies that the invariant ring has rational singularities; when $K$ has positive characteristic, the invariant ring is $F$-regular, as proven by Hashimoto using good filtrations. We give a new proof of this, viewing the invariant ring for $\operatorname{SO}_t(K)$ as a cyclic cover of the invariant ring for the corresponding orthogonal group; this point of view has a number of useful consequences, for example it readily yields the $a$-invariant and information on the Hilbert series. Indeed, we use this to show that the $h$-vector of the invariant ring for $\operatorname{SO}_t(K)$ need not be unimodal.

Let $V$ be a finite rank vector space over a perfect field of characteristic $p>0$, and let $G$ be a finite subgroup of $\operatorname{GL}(V)$. If $V$ is a permutation representation of $G$, or more generally a monomial representation, we prove that the ring of invariants $(\operatorname{Sym}V)^G$ has finite Frobenius representation type. We also construct an example with $V$ a finite rank vector space over the algebraic closure of the function field ${\mathbb{F}_3}(t)$, and $G$ an elementary abelian subgroup of $\operatorname{GL}(V)$, such that the invariant ring $(\operatorname{Sym}V)^G$ does not have finite Frobenius representation type.

The goal of this paper is to explain how basic properties of perverse sheaves sometimes translate via Riemann-Hilbert correspondences (in both characteristic $0$ and characteristic $p$) to highly non-trivial properties of singularities, especially their local cohomology. Along the way, we develop a theory of perverse $\mathbf{F}_p$-sheaves on varieties in characteristic $p$, expanding on previous work by various authors, and including a strong version of the Artin vanishing theorem., Comment: Comments welcome

For each positive prime integer $p$ we construct a standard graded $F$-rational ring $R$, over a field $K$ of characteristic $p$, such that $R\otimes_K\overline{K}$ is not $F$-rational. By localizing we obtain a flat local homomorphism $(R, \mathfrak{m}) \to (S, \mathfrak{n})$ such that $R$ is $F$-rational, $S/\mathfrak{m} S$ is regular (in fact, a field), but $S$ is not $F$-rational. In the process we also obtain standard graded $F$-rational rings $R$ for which $R\otimes_K R$ is not $F$-rational.

We investigate the injectivity of the Frobenius map on thickenings of smooth varieties in projective space over a field of positive characteristic. We obtain uniform bounds -- i.e., independent of the characteristic -- on the thickening that ensures an injective Frobenius map when the projective variety is a smooth complete intersection or an arbitrary projective embedding of an elliptic curve. Our bounds are sharp in the case of hypersurfaces, and in the case of elliptic curves., Comment: Comments welcome!

For $K$ a field, consider a finite subgroup $G$ of $\operatorname{GL}_n(K)$ with its natural action on the polynomial ring $R:=K[x_1,\dots,x_n]$. Let $\mathfrak{n}$ denote the homogeneous maximal ideal of the ring of invariants $R^G$. We study how the local cohomology module $H^n_{\mathfrak{n}}(R^G)$ compares with $H^n_{\mathfrak{n}}(R)^G$. Various results on the $a$-invariant and on the Hilbert series of $H^n_\mathfrak{n}(R^G)$ are obtained as a consequence.

We study the behavior of various properties of commutative Noetherian rings under Segre products, with a special focus on properties in positive prime characteristic defined using the Frobenius endomorphism. Specifically, we construct normal graded rings of finite Frobenius representation type that are not Cohen-Macaulay.

K. R. Nagarajan constructed an example of a formal power series ring of dimension two, over a field of characteristic two, with the action of a cyclic group of order two, such that the ring of invariants is not noetherian. We point out how Nagarajan's example readily extends to each positive prime characteristic, and also to a characteristic zero example: There exists a formal power series ring of dimension two, over a field of characteristic zero, with an action of the infinite cyclic group, such that the ring of invariants is not noetherian. Both the positive characteristic and the characteristic zero examples are sharp in multiple ways.

Consider a reductive linear algebraic group $G$ acting linearly on a polynomial ring $S$ over an infinite field; key examples are the general linear group, the symplectic group, the orthogonal group, and the special linear group, with the classical representations as in Weyl's book: for the general linear group, consider a direct sum of copies of the standard representation and copies of the dual; in the other cases take copies of the standard representation. The invariant rings in the respective cases are determinantal rings, rings defined by Pfaffians of alternating matrices, symmetric determinantal rings, and the Pl\"ucker coordinate rings of Grassmannians; these are the classical invariant rings of the title, with $S^G\subseteq S$ being the natural embedding. Over a field of characteristic zero, a reductive group is linearly reductive, and it follows that the invariant ring $S^G$ is a pure subring of $S$, equivalently, $S^G$ is a direct summand of $S$ as an $S^G$-module. Over fields of positive characteristic, reductive groups are typically no longer linearly reductive. We determine, in the positive characteristic case, precisely when the inclusion $S^G\subseteq S$ is pure. It turns out that if $S^G\subseteq S$ is pure, then either the invariant ring $S^G$ is regular, or the group $G$ is linearly reductive., Comment: 41 pages

Levasseur and Stafford described the rings of differential operators on various classical invariant rings of characteristic zero; in each of the cases that they considered, the differential operators form a simple ring. Towards an attack on the simplicity of rings of differential operators on invariant rings of linearly reductive groups over the complex numbers, Smith and Van den Bergh asked if differential operators on the corresponding rings of positive prime characteristic lift to characteristic zero differential operators. We prove that, in general, this is not the case for determinantal hypersurfaces, as well as for Pfaffian and symmetric determinantal hypersurfaces. We also prove that, with very few exceptions, these hypersurfaces -- and, more generally, classical invariant rings -- do not admit a mod $p^2$ lift of the Frobenius endomorphism.

Let $X$ be a closed equidimensional local complete intersection subscheme of a smooth projective scheme $Y$ over a field, and let $X_t$ denote the $t$-th thickening of $X$ in $Y$. Fix an ample line bundle $\mathcal{O}_Y(1)$ on $Y$. We prove the following asymptotic formulation of the Kodaira vanishing theorem: there exists an integer $c$, such that for all integers $t \geqslant 1$, the cohomology group $H^k(X_t,\mathcal{O}_{X_t}(j))$ vanishes for $k < \dim X$ and $j < -ct$. Note that there are no restrictions on the characteristic of the field, or on the singular locus of $X$. We also construct examples illustrating that a linear bound is indeed the best possible, and that the constant $c$ is unbounded, even in a fixed dimension.

For a local ring $(A,\mathfrak{m})$ of dimension $n$, we study the natural map from the Koszul cohomology module $H^n(\mathfrak{m}; A)$ to the local cohomology module $H^n_\mathfrak{m}(A)$. We prove that the injectivity of this map characterizes the Cohen-Macaulay property of the ring $A$. We also answer a question of Dutta by constructing normal rings $A$ for which this map is zero.

This concerns a conjecture of Lynch on annihilators of local cohomology modules; we present a counterexample that has dimension three.

We prove necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of homogeneous prime elements in normal N-graded rings of dimension two, in terms of rational coefficient Weil divisors on projective curves.