Simplicial complexes with rigid depth (Q1930881)

Let \(\Delta\) be a simplicial complex over the vertex set \(\{1,\dots, n\}\) and we denote by \({\mathcal F}(\Delta)\) its facet set. We also consider their algebraic counterpart. Namely, let \(S = K[x_1,\dots, x_n]\) be the polynomial ring over a field \(K\) and \(I_\Delta\) the Stanley-Reisner ideal corresponding to \(\Delta\). Moreover \(K[\Delta] = S/I_\Delta\) is the Stanley-Reisner ring. For a monomial ideal \(I\subset S\), its radical \(\sqrt{I}\) can be regarded as the Stanley-Reisner ideal of certain simplicial complex. In the paper under review, the authors consider the following situation. Assume that \(\Delta\) is a pure simplicial complex and let \(I\subset S\) be an unmixed monomial ideal with \(\sqrt{I} = I_\Delta\). In general we have \(\text{depth}(S/I)\leq \text{depth}(S/\sqrt{I})\). The authors give a characterization of the case when the equality holds. If the equality holds for every such \(I\subset S\), the authors call \(\Delta\) a simplicial complex with \textit{rigid depth}. First of all, they showed that the following are equivalent: (a) \(\text{depth}(S/I) = \text{depth}(S/\sqrt{I})\), (b) \(\text{depth} K[\Delta_{\mathbf a}] \geq \text{depth} K[\Delta]\) for all \({\mathbf a}\in{\mathbb N}^n\), where \(\Delta_{\mathbf a}\) is the simplicial complex with \({\mathcal F}(\Delta_{\mathbf a}) = \{F\in {\mathcal F}(\Delta) \mid {\mathbf x}^{\mathbf a}=x_1^{a_1}\cdots x_n^{a_n}\notin I_F\}\), where \(I_F\) is the \(P_F\)-primary component of \(I\) and \(P_F = (x_i\mid i\notin F) \subset S\). (c) \(L_\Gamma(I)=\emptyset\) for every simplicial complex \(\Gamma\) with \({\mathcal F}(\Gamma)\subseteq {\mathcal F}(\Delta)\) and \(\text{depth} K[\Gamma] < \text{depth} K[\Delta]\), where we define \(L_\Gamma(I) = \{{\mathbf a}\in{\mathbb N}^n\mid {\mathbf x}^{\mathbf a} \in \bigcap_{F\in {\mathcal F}(\Delta)\backslash {\mathcal F}(\Gamma)} I_F\backslash \bigcup_{G\in {\mathcal F}(\Gamma)}I_G\}\) (Theorem~1.2). This is a natural extension of Theorem~1.6~[\textit{N. C. Minh} and \textit{N. V. Trung}, Adv. Math. 226, No. 2, 1285--1306 (2011); corrigendum ibid. 228, No. 5, 2982--2983 (2011; Zbl 1204.13015)]. As an application, the authors also show the following combinatorial characterization of simplicial complexes with rigid depth. Namely, for a pure simplicial complex \(\Delta\), the following are equivalent: (a) \(\Delta\) has rigid depth, (b) the skeleton \(\Gamma^{\text{depth}K[\Delta]-1}\) is Cohen-Macaulay for every subcomplex \(\Gamma \subset \Delta\) with \({\mathcal F}(\Gamma)\subset {\mathcal F}(\Delta)\). (c) Let \({\mathcal F}(\Delta) = \{F_1,\dots, F_r\}\). Then, for every \(1\leq k\leq \min(r,\text{depth}K[\Delta])\) and for any indices \(1\leq i_1<\cdots <i_k\leq r\), we have \(| F_{i_1}\cap \cdots \cap F_{i_k}| \geq \text{depth}K[\Delta] - k + 1\) (Theorem~2.3).