Exterior algebra methods for the minimal resolution conjecture. (Q1847916)

The Minimal Resolution Conjecture (MRC) predicts the shape of the graded free resolution of the homogeneous coordinate ring of a general set of \(\gamma\) points in \(\mathbb{P}^r\). In 1999, the first two authors showed that for every \(r\geq 6\), \(r\neq 9\) the MRC fails for \(\gamma= r+ [(3+ \sqrt{8r+1}/2]\) [cf. \textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{S. Popescu}, Invent. Math. 136, 419--449 (1999; Zbl 0943.13011)]. In the paper under review, the authors prove the existence of infinitely many new counterexamples. More precisely, they show that for every \(r\geq 6\), \(r\neq 0\), the MRC fails whenever \(r+ 2+ \sqrt{r+2}\leq \gamma\leq r+ (3+\sqrt{8r+ 1})/2\), and also when \((r,\gamma)\in \{(8, 13),(15, 21)\}\). The proof of this result also avoids the subtle degeneration argument used by Eisenbud and Popescu (loc. cit.). The main improvement of the argument stems from the use of exterior algebra methods as explained by \textit{D. Eisenbud}, \textit{G. Fløstad} and \textit{F.-O. Schreyer} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 355, 4397--4426 (2003; Zbl 1063.14021)]. The authors use the Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand correspondence to show the irredundancy (or linear exactness) of a complex whose injection into the minimal free resolution of \(w_\Gamma(-1)\) is the key to the failure of the MRC. Besides recovering a counterexample to MRC contained in the thesis of \textit{M. Boij} [J. Algebra 226, 361--374 (2000; Zbl 0998.13001)], the authors recover an unpublished result on curves by Schreyer and a theorem of \textit{M. Green} and \textit{R. Lazarsfeld} [Compos. Math. 67, 301--314 (1988; Zbl 0671.14010)].