The Rationality Problem in Invariant Theory

Abstract

This is a survey of the rationality problem in invariant theory. It also contains some new results, in particular in Chapter 2 on moduli spaces of plane curves with a theta-characteristic, and a detailed account of the relation of the Hesselink stratification of the Hilbert nullcone to the rationality problem, with an application to the rationality of the moduli space of plane curves of degree 34.