Symmetric group fixed quotients of polynomial rings

Abstract

Given a representation of a finite group G over some commutative base ring k, the cofixed space is the largest quotient of the representation on which the group acts trivially. If G acts by k-algebra automorphisms, then the cofixed space is a module over the ring of G-invariants. When the order of G is not invertible in the base ring, little is known about this module structure. We study the cofixed space in the case that G is the symmetric group on n letters acting on a polynomial ring by permuting its variables. When k has characteristic 0, the cofixed space is isomorphic to an ideal of the ring of symmetric polynomials in n variables. Localizing k at a prime integer p while letting n vary reveals striking behavior in these ideals. As n grows, the ideals stay stable in a sense, then jump in complexity each time n reaches a multiple of p.