Principal symmetric ideals in the coordinate rings of curves

Abstract

The study of principal symmetric ideals (PSIs) in ambient polynomial rings was complicated by the combinatorial instability of minimal generators for ideal powers. We resolve this instability in the two variable case by translating the problem into the arithmetic geometry of symmetric affine plane curves. By working topdown within the Dedekind domain of a symmetric coordinate ring, we establish a precise geometric dictionary for PSIs. We prove that the prime factorization of a PSI is strictly determined by the $S_2$-orbits of its symmetric intersection locus, and that ramification corresponds exactly to tangential intersections, which are detected globally by a novel Symmetric Discriminant ideal. Crucially, we demonstrate that the ideal class of any PSI is a $2$-torsion element in the Ideal Class Group. This establishes that the powers of a PSI exhibit strict periodicity, alternating between being principal and requiring exactly two generators. Finally, we localize this arithmetic obstruction to the axis of symmetry, culminating in a Parity Criterion that determines principality based on intersection multiplicities along the diagonal.