Cohen-Macaulayness and computation of Newton graded toric rings (Q1017670)

Let \(H\) be a positive affine semigroup, and let \(k[H]\) be the associated affine semigroup ring over a field \(k\). The paper under review is mainly concerned with the following two questions: (1) If \(k[H]\) is Cohen-Macaulay, is the Newton graded ring of \(k[H]\) Cohen-Macaulay? (2) If \(k[H]\) is Cohen-Macaulay, are the face rings of \(k[H]\) Cohen-Macaulay? The first main result of the paper gives a negative answer to the second question. For the proof the authors use the combinatorial criterion for an affine semigroup ring to be Cohen-Macaulay in \textit{N. V. Trung} and \textit{L. T. Hoa} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 298, 145--167 (1986; Zbl 0631.13020)]. (A simplified proof of this criterion is also presented in the paper under review.) For the first question, the authors give an example of a positive affine semigroup \(H\) together with a generating set \(\mathcal{A}\subseteq H\), for which \(k[H]\) is Cohen-Macaulay but the Newton graded ring of \(k[H]\) with respect to \(\mathcal{A}\) is not Cohen-Macaulay. Therefore, both questions have negative answers in general. On the positive side, regarding the first question, the authors prove that, given any \(H\) such that \(k[H]\) is Cohen-Macaulay, there is a generating set \(\mathcal{A}\subseteq H\) for which the Newton graded ring of \(k[H]\) is Cohen-Macaulay. To archive that goal the authors develop an algorithm to compute the Newton graded ring of \(k[H]\) with respect to arbitrary generating set \(\mathcal{A}\subseteq H\). The paper concludes with an elementary proof of a vanishing result on \(A\)-hypergeometric Euler-Koszul homology, as another application of the algorithm.