The Gorensteinness of symbolic Rees algebras for space curves (Q1179719)

Let \(\mathfrak p\) be a prime ideal of the regular local ring \(A,{\mathfrak m}\). The authors give a list of thirteen papers seeking criteria to ensure that the Rees algebra of symbolic powers \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})=\oplus_{n\geq0}{\mathfrak p}^{(n)}t^ n\) is Noetherian. The present note is most influenced by the noteworthy criterion of \textit{C. Huneke} [Mich. Math. J. 34, 293-318 (1987; Zbl 0628.13012)]; namely, when \(\dim(A)=3\) and \(\dim(A/{\mathfrak p})=1\), if \(f\in {\mathfrak p}^{(k)}\), \(g\in{\mathfrak p}^{(l)}(k,l\geq 1)\) with \(\text{length}_ A(A/(f,g,x)A)=kl\cdot\text{length}_ A(A/{\mathfrak p}+xA)\) for some \(x\in{\mathfrak m}\backslash{\mathfrak p}\), then \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Noetherian, and conversely, when \(A/{\mathfrak m}\) is infinite. The authors extend this result to give a criterion which ensures \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Gorenstein. They show that for \(\dim(A)=3\), \(\dim(A/{\mathfrak p})=1\) and \(f\in{\mathfrak p}^{(k)}\), \(g\in{\mathfrak p}^{(l)}\) satisfying Huneke's criterion, \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Gorenstein if and only if \(A/(f,g)A+{\mathfrak p}^{(n)}\) is Cohen-Macaulay for \(n=1,\ldots,k+l-2\). Moreover when \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Gorenstein it is generated as an \(A\)-algebra by \(\{{\mathfrak p}^{(n)}t^ n\); \(n=1,\ldots,k+l-2\}\), and \(A/fA+{\mathfrak p}^{(n)}\), \(A/gA+{\mathfrak p}^{(n)}A/(f,g)A+{\mathfrak p}^{(n)}\) are Cohen-Macaulay for all \(n\geq 1\). As a consequence \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Gorenstein when either \(k,l\leq 2\) or \(A/{\mathfrak p}\) has multiplicity 3. The second half of the paper consists of applications of these criteria; the basic application is when \({\mathfrak p}\) is generated by elements \(X^{\alpha+\alpha'}-Y^ \beta Z^{\gamma'}\), \(Y^{\beta+\beta'}-Z^ \gamma X^{\alpha'}\), \(Z^{\gamma+\gamma'}-X^ \alpha Y^{\beta'}\) where \(X\), \(Y\), \(Z\) is a regular system of parameters for \(A\) and \(\alpha\), \(\beta\), \(\gamma\), \(\alpha '\), \(\beta '\), \(\gamma '\) are positive integers. If \(\alpha\geq\alpha '\), \(\beta\) divides \(\beta '\) and \(\beta\gamma '\geq\beta '\gamma\), \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Gorenstein. For space monomial curves given parametrically by \(X=t^{n_ 1}\), \(Y=t^{n_ 2}\), \(Z=t^{n_ 3}(n_ 1,n_ 2,n_ 3\) coprime) the corresponding prime ideal of \(A=k[[X,Y,Z]]\) is denoted by \({\mathfrak p}(n_ 1,n_ 2,n_ 3)\). As a consequence of the basic application it is shown that \(R_ s({\mathfrak p})\) is Gorenstein for \({\mathfrak p}={\mathfrak p}(m,m+1,m+2)\), \({\mathfrak p}={\mathfrak p}(m,m+1,m+3)\) for all \(m\geq 1\) and for \({\mathfrak p}={\mathfrak p}(4,7,13)\). However not all space monomial curves have their symbolic Rees algebra Cohen-Macaulay as is demonstrated here for \({\mathfrak p}={\mathfrak p}(7,9,10)\) when \(\text{char}(k)=2\). This example is due to \textit{Mayumi Morimoto}, who, in an appendix to the present paper shows that the space (non-monomial) curve given by \(X=t^ 6\), \(Y=t^ 7+t^{10}\), \(Z=t^ 8\) has a corresponding symbolic Rees algebra which is Gorenstein.