Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / iii / Paper 126 / 2 / Solution

A weight-$k$ modular form for $\Gamma =S{L}_2(\mathbb{Z})$ is a holomorphic function $f$ on the complex upper half-plane satisfyingand holomorphic at a cusp. Since the full modular group has one cusp class, this last condition means that the period-one function has a convergent expansion $f(\tau )={\sum }_{n\ge 0}{a}_n{q}^n$, $q=e^{2\pi i\tau }$, near infinity. A cusp form has $a_0=0$. The element $-I$ makes a nonzero weight odd form impossible.

For weight zero, $f$ descends to a holomorphic function on the quotient of the complex upper half-plane by the modular group. At an elliptic fixed point, invariance under its finite stabilizer makes the local Taylor series a series in the quotient coordinate. At the cusp, the $q$ expansion extends it over $q=0$. The standard fundamental domain of the modular group, with its boundary identified and its cusp added, is a compact Riemann surface, the compactified modular curve $X(1)$. The maximum modulus principle now provesHolomorphy at the cusp is essential to this conclusion.

For positive even $k\ge 4$, define the unnormalized Eisenstein seriesThe real-linear map $(m,n)\mapsto m\tau +n$ is invertible, and on a compact subset of the complex upper half-plane its norm is uniformly comparable to $\sqrt{m^2+n^2}$. Thus the sum converges absolutely and locally uniformly for $k>2$, proving holomorphy. For $\gamma =\left(\begin{array}{cc}a& b\\ c& d\end{array}\right)$,The map $(m,n)\mapsto (ma+nc,mb+nd)$ is a bijection on the nonzero integer pairs, giving $G_k(\gamma \tau )=(c\tau +d{)}^k{G}_k(\tau )$.

For the expansion, the cotangent partial-fraction Fourier kernel follows by differentiating the partial-fraction expansion of $\pi \cot \pi z$ and its geometric-series expansion $-\pi i(1+2{\sum }_{r\ge 1}{e}^{2\pi irz})$, valid for $\mathrm{Im}z>0$. It gives, for even $k\ge 2$,The $m=0$ part of $G_k$ is $2\zeta (k)$, where $\zeta$ is the Riemann zeta function; positive and negative $m$ contribute equally. Apply the kernel at $z=m\tau$ for $m>0$, and regroup the absolutely convergent sum according to $N=mr$. With the divisor sum ${\sigma }_{k-1}(N)={\sum }_{r\mid N}{r}^{k-1}$, this provesThe expansion has no negative powers and converges for $|q|<1$, so it also proves holomorphy at a cusp and completes the proof of modularity.

The supplied zeta values yield the Fourier expansion of a normalized Eisenstein seriesBoth $E_4^3$ and $E_6^2$ are modular forms of weight twelve. Their constant terms cancel, so their difference divided by $1728$ is a cusp form. Integrality requires an argument: dividing an integral series by $1728$ alone would not suffice. Expanding directly gives the integrality identity for the modular discriminantFor every integer $d$, $5d^3+7d^5$ is divisible by twelve. Modulo three, $d^3\equiv d^5\equiv d$; modulo four, an even $d$ makes both powers divisible by four, while an odd $d$ has $d^3\equiv d^5\equiv d(\mathrm{mod}4)$. Thus each coefficient $(5{\sigma }_3(n)+7{\sigma }_5(n))/12$ is integral. The other three series visibly have integral coefficients, provingThis proves integrality without assuming a product expansion for the modular discriminant.