Pic\(R[X, X^{-1}]\) for \(R\) a one-dimensional reduced Noetherian ring (Q1175526)

Let \(R\) be a commutative ring. There is a natural decomposition of the Picard group \[ \text{Pic}(R[x,x^{-1}])\cong\text{Pic}(R)\oplus \text{NPic}(R)\oplus\text{NPic}(R)\oplus\text{LPic}(R) \] due to the reviewer [Invent. Math. 103, No. 2, 351-377 (1991; Zbl 0794.13008)]. Here \(\text{NPic}(R)= \text{Pic}(R[x])/\text{Pic}(R)\) and \(\text{LPic}(R)= H^ 1_{\text{et}}(\text{spec }R,\mathbb{Z})\). It is well known that \(\text{NPic}(R)= 0\) if and only if \(R_{\text{red}}\) is seminormal. The paper under review describes the structure of \(\text{LPic}(R)\) when \(R\) is a 1-dimensional reduced Noetherian ring with finite normalization \(\overline R\). From the \(H^ 0\)-LPic sequence of the reviewer [op. cit.], one obtains a combinational formula for the integer \(d\) such that \(\text{LPic}(R)= \mathbb{Z}^ d\); the author uses this to verify a conjecture of S. Greco: If \(R\) is 1-dimensional Noetherian then \(\text{LPic}(R)= 0\) if and only if \(X= \text{Spec}(R)\) contains no ``polygons'', distinct components of \(X\) meet in at most one point, and each irreducible component of \(X\) is unibranch. Adding seminormality gives a necessary and sufficient geometric condition for \(\text{Pic}(R)=\text{Pic}(R[x, x^{- 1}])\). \{Reviewer's remarks: The finite normalization condition is not needed. The vanishing of \(\text{LPic}(R)\) is much harder to describe for 2- dimensional rings\}.