Consider a group acting on a polynomial ring S over a field K by degree-preserving K-algebra automorphisms. The invariant ring R is a graded subring of S; let m_R denote the homogeneous maximal ideal of R. Several key properties of the invariant ring and its embedding in S can be deduced by studying the nullcone S/(m_R)S of the group action. This includes, for example, the finite generation of the invariant ring and the purity of the embedding. In this article, we study the nullcones arising from the natural actions of the symplectic and general linear groups.

For the natural representation of the symplectic group (via copies of the standard representation), the invariant ring is the ring defined by the principal Pfaffians of a fixed even size of a generic alternating matrix. We show that the nullcone of this embedding is a strongly F-regular ring in positive characteristic, and hence in characteristic zero, a ring of strongly F-regular type. Independent of characteristic, we give a complete description of the divisor class group of the nullcone and determine precisely when it is Gorenstein.