Derivations and the Cohen-Macaulay type of points in generic position in n-space (Q1106908)

Let k be an algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic. Let R be the homogeneous coordinate ring of s distinct points \(P_ 1,...,P_ s\) in \({\mathbb{P}}\) \(n_ k\). Let \({\mathfrak O}\) be the localization of R at the origin, which is a Cohen-Macaulay ring of dimension 1. Its type t(\({\mathfrak O})=\dim_ kExt\) \(1_{{\mathfrak O}}(k,{\mathfrak O})\) is denoted by \(t(P_ 1,...,P_ s).\) Let \(\bar R\) denote the integral closure of R in its total quotient ring, so that \(\bar R=k[T_ 1]\oplus...\oplus k[T_ s]\). Then it holds that (theorem 1.6) \(t(P_ 1,...,P_ s)=s+\ell (\bar R/R)-\ell (Der_ k(\bar R)/Der_ k(R))\). When the points \(P_ i\) are in generic position then the middle term \(\ell (\bar R,R)\) is easy to calculate. Calculation of the last term is the main aim of the paper, and the main result (theorem 2.9) says that, if the points \(P_ i\) are in generic position and \(\binom{n+e-1}{n} <s< \binom{n+e}{n}\) for some \(e\geq 2\), then the term in question is determined by the length \(\ell (Der_ k(R)_{e-1})\) of the degree \(e-1\) part of the graded module \(Der_ k(R)\). This theorem, written in matrix form, gives a matrix which depends only on the homogeneous coordinates of the points and is easy to compute, and whose rank determines \(t(P_ 1,...,P_ s)\).