A Ramification Formula for Poincare Series, and a Hyperplane Formula for Modular Invariants

Let (A) be the coefficient of the second term in the Laurentexpansion about T 1 of the Poincare series p(A, t) of a gradedring A. For a finite extension of integrally closed domains,we prove a formula relating if (B), if (A) and the differentialexponent of B over A. As an application, we prove a conjectureof Carlisle and Kropholler which computes for rings of modularinvariants of finite groups in terms of stabilizers of hyperplanes.