Transcendence of some Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities (modulo a conjecture)

Abstract

Suppose that h in F[x,y,z], char F=2, defines a nodal cubic. In earlier papers we made a precise conjecture as to the Hilbert-Kunz functions attached to the powers of h. Assuming this conjecture we showed that a class of characteristic 2 hypersurfaces has algebraic but not necessarily rational Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities. We now show that if the conjecture holds, then transcendental multiplicities exist, and in particular that the number \sum\binom{2n}{n}^{2}/(65,536)^{n}, proved transcendental by Schneider, is a Q-linear combination of Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities of characteristic 2 hypersurfaces.