Positive characteristic finite generation of symbolic Rees algebras and Roberts' counterexamples to the fourteenth problem of Hilbert (Q1321754)

In his paper in J. Algebra 132, No. 2, 461-473 (1990; Zbl 0716.13013), \textit{P. Roberts} constructed an explicit counterexample to Cowsik's question [see \textit{R. C. Cowsik} in Algebra and its applications, Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math. 91, 13-14 (1985; Zbl 0562.13002)], on the finite generation of the symbolic Rees ring of a prime ideal in a polynomial ring which is also a counterexample to Hilbert's 14th problem. In fact Roberts' example is defined over a ground field of characteristic zero. The main point of the present paper is the surprising fact that Roberts' example is of finite type for any field of positive characteristic. In order to prove this claim the author uses his result [On the finite generation of Rees rings defined by filtrations of ideals, J. Math. Kyoto Univ. 34, No. 1, 73-86 (1994)] that a prime ideal \(Q\) in a certain polynomial ring has a finite symbolic Rees ring provided for some \(I \geq 1\) the \(I\)-th symbolic power \(Q^{(I)}\) of \(Q\) contains a certain monic polynomial. The main part of the paper consists of tricky computations using the finite characteristic of the ground field in order to produce such monic polynomials. Moreover the author notices the interesting fact that all the known counterexamples to Cowsik's question [see \textit{P. Roberts} (loc. cit.) and Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 94, 589-592 (1985; Zbl 0589.13008), and \textit{S. Goto}, \textit{K. Nishida} and \textit{K.-I. Watanabe}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 120, No. 2, 383-392 (1994; Zbl 0796.13005)] are defined over a field of characteristic zero. So Cowsik's question remains open in the case of positive prime characteristic of the ground field.