A Gorenstein simplicial complex for symmetric minors (Q2630868)

Let \(T=k[x_1,\ldots, x_n]\) be a polynomial ring over a field \(k\). The main idea of this paper concerns the general question, whether a homogeneous Gorenstein ideal \(I\subset T\) has a Gorenstein initial ideal. There is a positive answer in some special cases, such as ideals of minors, ideals of Pfaffians and Plücker relations. Let \(S=k[x_{ij} | 1\leq i\leq j\leq n]\) be the polynomial ring in the variables \(x_{ij}\) over a field \(k\). Set \(x_{ij}=x_{ji}\) and consider the generic \(n\times n\) symmetric matrix \(X=(x_{ij})\). For \(2\leq t\leq n\), \(I_t\) is denoted the ideal generated by the \(t\)-minors of \(X\). It is well known that for every \(2\leq t\leq n\), \(S/I_t\) is a Cohen-Macaulay normal domain and it is Gorenstein if and only if \(n-t\) is even. It is proved that the \(t\)-minors of \(X\) are a Gröbner basis with respect to the lexicographic order induced by \[ x_{11} > x_{12} >\cdots > x_{1n} > x_{22} >\cdots> x_{nn}. \] The corresponding initial ideal is square-free and Cohen-Macaulay. The authors consider the case of minors of size \(n-2\) of a symmetric matrix of variables of size \(n\times n\) and prove that the minors of size \(n-2\) of \(X\) form a Gröbner basis of the ideal \(I_{n-2}\) with respect to a suitable reverse lexicographic order \(\prec\) and the corresponding initial ideal \(\text{in}_\prec(I_{n-2})\) is square-free and Gorenstein. They also show that the simplicial complex associated to \(\text{in}_\prec(I_{n-2})\) is the boundary complex of a cyclic polytope.