Modules of finite virtual projective dimension (Q1123231)

In order to study the asymptotic of the ranks of the free modules in (an infinite) minimal free resolution, the author defines two new notions for a finitely generated module M over a local ring \((R,{\mathfrak m},k):\) the complexity \(cx_ RM\) is d if d-1 is the least degree of a polynomial in n bounding the sequence of Betti numbers \(\{b_ n(M)=\dim_ k Ext^ n_ R(M,k)\}\), and the virtual projective dimension \(vpd_ RM\) is the least value of \(pd_ QM\) for local deformations Q of R having the same residue field (with technical adjustments if R is not complete or the residue field is finite). The central formula is \[ \text{vpd}_ R M = \text{depth}(R) -\text{depth}(M) + cx_ R M,\tag{\(*\)} \] and the principal result is that (\(*\)) holds if M is a non-zero module with \(vpd_ RM<\infty\). In particular (\(*\)) holds for all non-trivial finitely generated modules over a complete intersection. The formula generalizes the classical Auslander-Buchsbaum formula for modules of finite projective dimension (in this case \(vpd_ RM=pd_ RM\) and \(cx_ RM=0).\) Various ``relative'' theorems follow: for instance, the author extends the validity of the Eisenbud conjecture that modules with bounded Betti numbers have eventually periodic resolutions by placing the hypothesis \(vpd_ RM<\infty\) on M and eliminating any hypothesis on R (Eisenbud had established the conjecture for all modules over a complete intersection R). The author also gives detailed results on the growth of \(\{b_ n(M)\}\), which imply the much weaker fact that \(\lim_{n\to \infty}b_ n=\infty\) if the sequence is not bounded. The main body of the paper concerns the construction and interpretation of two algebraic varieties: V(Q,x,M) is defined for a local ring Q that specializes by the regular sequence x to R, where \(pd_ QM<\infty\); and \(V^*_ R(M)\) is defined in terms of the action of a certain subalgebra of the homotopy Lie algebra of R on \(Ext_ R(M,k)\). The first one parameterizes intermediate specializations \(Q\to Q'\to R\) with finite \(pd_{Q'}M\), and has dimension equal to \(cx_ RM\); the second one maps finite-to-one onto the first one and encodes information on all the deformations Q of interest. The author uses structural results for these varieties to prove that all admissible pairs of values of \(cx_ RM\) and \(vpd_ RM\) do in fact occur for R a complete intersection. The final section concerns applications to representations of k[G] for G a finite abelian p-group and k an algebraically closed field of characteristic \(p>0.\) For known results there are given new proofs and sharpened by relating the existing notions of complexity and cohomological varieties for group rings to the new ones of this paper.