Dimension filtration, sequential Cohen-Macaulayness and a new polynomial invariant of graded algebras (Q286552)

Let \(R=k[x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n]\) be the polynomial ring over a field \(k\) with the standard \(\mathbb{N}\)-grading. Let \(I\) be a homogeneous ideal of \(R\) and let \(A=R/I\). This paper defines the so-called Björner-Wachs polynomial of \(A\) as follows: \[ BW(A;t,w)=\sum_{i=0}^{\dim A}{h(U_i(A),t)w^i}, \] where \(U_i(A)\) is the \(i\)-th unmixed layer of \(A\). Let \(h_{i,j}(A)\) denote the coefficient of \(w^it^j\). In the case of face rings \(k[\Delta]\), the paper shows that \(h_{i,j}(k[\Delta])=h_{i,j}(\Delta)\), which are the entries of the \(h\)-triangle of \(\Delta\) defined by \textit{A. Björner} and \textit{M. L. Wachs} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 348, No. 4, 1299--1327 (1996; Zbl 0857.05102)]. The main result of the paper is Theorem 17, which says that \(R/I\) is sequentially Cohen-Macaulay if and only if \(R/I\) and \(R/\mathrm{gin}(I)\) have the same Björner-Wachs polynomial, where the generic initial ideal \(\mathrm{gin}(I)\) is with respect to the reverse lexicographic order. In the case of sequentially Cohen-Macaulay algebras, the author also studies the connections of Björner-Wachs polynomial with local cohomology modules, extremal Betti numbers and combinatorial Alexander duality.