Trace formulas for Hecke operators, Gaussian hypergeometric functions, and the modularity of a threefold

We present simple trace formulas for Hecke operators Tk(p) for all p>3 on Sk(Γ₀(3)) and Sk(Γ₀(9)), the spaces of cusp forms of weight k and levels 3 and 9. These formulas can be expressed in terms of special values of Gaussian hypergeometric series and lend themselves to recursive expressions in terms of traces of Hecke operators on spaces of lower weight. Along the way, we show how to express the traces of Frobenius of a family of elliptic curves equipped with a 3-torsion point as special values of a Gaussian hypergeometric series over Fq, when . As an application, we use these formulas to provide a simple expression for the Fourier coefficients of η⁸(3z), the unique normalized cusp form of weight 4 and level 9, and then show that the number of points on a certain threefold is expressible in terms of these coefficients.