Some Properties of and Open Problems on Hessian Nilpotent Polynomials

In the recent progress [BE1], [M], [Z1] and [Z2], the well-known Jacobian conjecture ([BCW], [E]) has been reduced to a problem on HN (Hessian nilpotent) polynomials (the polynomials whose Hessian matrix are nilpotent) and their (deformed) inversion pairs. In this paper, we prove several results on HN polynomials, their (deformed) inversion pairs as well as the associated symmetric polynomial or formal maps. We also propose some open problems for further study of these objects.