On local cohomology of a tetrahedral curve (Q629739)

A tetrahedral curve \(C=C(a_1,\dots,a_6)\) is a non-reduced curve in \(\mathbb P^3\) defined by the ideal \(I=(x_1,x_2)^{a_1}\cap(x_1,x_3)^{a_2}\cap(x_1,x_4)^{a_3}\cap(x_2,x_3)^{a_4}\cap(x_2,x_4)^{a_5}\cap (x_3,x_4)^{a_6}\) in the polynomial ring \(R=K[x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4]\) over a field \(K\), where the \(a_i\) are non-negative integers and not all are zero. The case \(a_2=a_5=0\) was studied in the thesis of P.~Schwartau. In [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2005, No. 15, 899--939 (2005; Zbl 1093.14044)], the reviewer and \textit{U.~Nagel} introduced the name and obtained results about the deficiency module \(M(C)\), the minimal free resolution of the homogeneous ideal, the even liaison class, and the unobstructedness of a tetrahedral curve \(C\). An algorithm was given to determine whether such a curve is arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay (ACM), and subsequently \textit{C. A. Francisco} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 212, No. 2, 364--375 (2008; Zbl 1133.13011)] gave an explicit characterization of the \(a_i\) for which the curve is ACM. In the present paper, the authors study \(M(C)\) more carefully, from the point of view of local cohomology. For a finite length module \(M\), the \textit{diameter} of \(M\) is \(\text{diam}(M)=\max\{n\mid M_n\neq 0\}-\min\{n\mid M_n\neq 0\}+1\) (setting \(\text{diam}(M)=0\) if \(M=0\)) and the authors show that \(\text{diam}(M(C))\) is equal to the smallest \(k\) such that \(\mathfrak m^k\) annihilates \(M(C)\), where \(\mathfrak m=\langle x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4\rangle\). This shows that \(M(C)\) has no gap. The authors also compute \(\text{diam}(M(C))\) explicitly in terms of the \(a_i\), and as a consequence they improve the result of Francisco, and a result of Nagel and the reviewer about arithmetically Buchsbaum tetrahedral curves. Their approach is to reduce the question to one about integer programming.