Hit problem for the polynomial algebra as a module over the Steenrod algebra in some degrees
Let [Formula: see text] be the polynomial algebra in [Formula: see text] variables with the degree of each [Formula: see text] being [Formula: see text] regarded as a module over the mod-[Formula: see text] Steenrod algebra [Formula: see text] and let [Formula: see text] be the general linear group over the prime field [Formula: see text] which acts naturally on [Formula: see text]. We study the hit problem, set up by Frank Peterson, of finding a minimal set of generators for the polynomial algebra [Formula: see text] as a module over the mod-2 Steenrod algebra, [Formula: see text]. These results are used to study the Singer algebraic transfer which is a homomorphism from the homology of the mod-[Formula: see text] Steenrod algebra, [Formula: see text] to the subspace of [Formula: see text] consisting of all the [Formula: see text]-invariant classes of degree [Formula: see text] In this paper, we explicitly compute the hit problem for [Formula: see text] and the degree [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] an arbitrary positive integer. Using this result, we show that Singer’s conjecture for the algebraic transfer is true in the case [Formula: see text] and the above degree.