A formula for the core of an ideal (Q1772080)

Let \(R\) be a Noetherian local ring with infinite residue field \(k\) and let \(I\) be an ideal of \(R\). The core of \(I\), \(\text{core}(I)\), is defined as the intersection of all reductions of \(I\). For a reduction of ideal \(J\) of \(I\), one puts \(r_J(I) = \min \{ n \mid I^{n+1} = JI^n \}\). The analytic spread of \(I\) is denoted by \(\ell(I)\), that is \(\ell(I) = \dim \text{gr}_I(R) \otimes_R k\), the minimal number of generators of every minimal reduction of \(I\). One says that the ideal \(I\) satisfies the condition \(G_s\) if for every prime ideal \(\mathfrak{p} \supseteq I\) with \(\dim R_{\mathfrak{p}} \leq s-1\), the minimal number of generators of \(I_{\mathfrak{p}}\) is at most \(\dim R_{\mathfrak{p}}\). The purpose of the paper is to prove the following theorem: Theorem 4.5. Let \(R\) be Gorenstein, \(g = \text{height}\,I > 0\), \(\ell = \ell(I)\), and let \(J\) be a minimal reduction of \(I\) with \(r = r_J(I)\). Assume that \(I\) satisfies the condition \(G_\ell\), that \(\text{depth}\,R/I^j \geq \dim R/I - j + 1\) for \(1 \leq j \leq \ell - g\), and that either \(\text{char}\,k = 0\) or \(\text{char}\,k > r-\ell+g\). Then \(\text{core}(I) = J^{n+1} : I^n\) for every \(n \geq \max\{r-\ell+g,0\}\). For the proof, the graded canonical module of the extended Rees algebra is computed in section 2 and the case of analytic spread one is treated in section 3. The authors give various classes of examples showing that Theorem 4.5 may fail if \(0 < \text{char}\,k \leq r-\ell+g\) or if any of the other assumptions are dropped.