Lower bounds for Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities in local rings of fixed dimension (Q841514)

Let \((R,\mathfrak m)\) be a local ring of prime characteristic \(p\) and of dimension \(d\). The Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity of \(R\) is defined as \[ e_{HK}(R)=\lim_{e\to\infty}\frac{\lambda(R/\mathfrak m^{[p^e]})}{p^{ed}}, \] where \(\lambda(\cdot)\) denotes the length function. It is known that a formally unmixed local ring of characteristic \(p\) is regular if and only if \(e_{HK}(R)=1\). A problem that has been intensively studied in recent years is the following: If one fixes the dimension \(d\), how close to 1 can \(e_{HK}(R)\) be, when \(R\) is formally unmixed and not regular? \textit{M. Blickle} and \textit{F. Enescu} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 132, No. 9, 2505--2509 (2004; Zbl 1099.13009)] introduced the constants \[ \epsilon_{HK}(d,p)=\inf\{e_{HK}(R)-1:R\text{ is nonregular, formally unmixed},\;\dim R=d,\text{ char }R=p\} \] and \(\epsilon_{HK}(d)=\inf\{\epsilon_{HK}(d,p): p>0\}\), and asked whether \(\epsilon_{HK}(d)>0\) for all \(d\). The main result of the paper gives a positive answer to this question: Let \((R,\mathfrak m)\) be a formally unmixed local ring of prime characteristic \(p\) and dimension \(d\geq 2\). If \(R\) is not regular then \[ e_{HK}(R)\geq 1+\frac{1}{d\cdot(d!(d-1)+1)^d}. \] The authors also prove that, if \((R,\mathfrak m)\) is formally unmixed local ring of prime characteristic \(p\) and \(e_{HK}\) is sufficiently small, then \(R\) is \(F\)-regular and Gorenstein, generalizing a result in the previously cited article.