Complexity of the normalization of algebras (Q2475961)

Let \(R\) be a noetherian ring, \(A\) be a finitely generated graded \(R\)-algebra where \(A = R[A_1]\), and \(M\) be a finitely generated graded \(A\)-module. If \(R\) is a local ring with maximal ideal \(\mathfrak{m}\), then \(H_{\mathfrak{m}}^0(M)\) denotes the graded submodule of \(M\) which is annihilated by a sufficiently large power of \(\mathfrak{m}\). The \(j\)-multiplicity \(j(M)\) of \(M\) is defined by \[ j(M) = \begin{cases} 0 &\text{if dim\(H_{\mathfrak{m}}^0(M) <\) dim\(M\)}\\ \deg(H_{\mathfrak{m}}^0(M)) &\text{if dim\(H_{\mathfrak{m}}^0(M) =\) dim\(M\).} \end{cases} \] The notion of \(j\)-multiplicity was introduced and studied in [\textit{H. Flenner, L. O'Carroll} and \textit{W. Vogel}, Joins and Intersections, Springer Monographs in Mathematics, New York (1999; Zbl 0939.14003)]. In this paper, the authors define the ``\(j\)-multiplicity'' of \(M\) at a prime ideal \(P\) of \(R\) in a natural way; \[ j_P(M) = \begin{cases} \deg(H_{P}^0(M_P)) &\text{if dim\(H_{P}^0(M_P) =\) dim\(M_P\)}\\ 0 &\text{otherwise}. \end{cases} \] They use \(j_P(M)\) to extend the notion of \(j\)-multiplicity to an arbitrary noetherian ring \(R\) as follows; \[ \text{jdeg}(M) = \sum_{P \in Spec(R)}j_P(M). \] Then they compute the \(\text{jdeg}(M)\) of several kinds of \(R\), \(A\) and \(M\). For example, let \(R\) be a noetherian domain, \(A\) be a semistandard graded \(R\)-algebra of finite integral closure \(\bar{A}\), and \(A \subseteq A_0 \rightarrow A_1 \rightarrow \cdots \rightarrow A_n = \bar{A}\) be a sequence of distinct integral graded extensions, where the \(A_i\) satisfy the \(S_2\) condition of Serre, then \(n \leq \text{jdeg}(\bar{A}/A)\).