Noetherian rings between a semilocal domain and its completion (Q1375968)

The paper continues work of \textit{W. Heinzer, C. Rotthaus} and \textit{J. Sally} [Nagoya Math. J. 131, 1-38 (1993; Zbl 0779.13003)], and \textit{W. Heinzer, C. Rotthaus} and \textit{S. Wiegand} [Ill. J. Math. 41, No. 2, 272-308 (1997; Zbl 0871.13005)], motivated by M. Nagata's famous example of a normal local Noetherian domain for which the completion at the maximal ideal is not a domain. Let \(R\) be a Noetherian semilocal domain with Jacobson radical \({\mathfrak m}\), let \(0\neq y\in{\mathfrak m}\) and let \(R^*\) denote the \((y)\)-adic completion of \(R\). Let \(\tau_1,\ldots,\tau_s\) be algebraically independent regular elements of \(R^*\). The authors consider two rings \(A:=k(\tau_1,\ldots,\tau_s)\cap R^*\) and \(B\) which is the directed union of localized polynomial rings \(R[\tau_{1n},\ldots,\tau_{sn}]_{({\mathfrak m},\tau_{1n},\ldots,\tau_{sn})}\). Here \(\tau_{in}=\sum_{j>n}a_{ij}y^{j-n}\) where each \(a_{ij}\) is the coefficient of \(y^j\) when \(\tau_i\) is expressed as a power series in \(y\) over \(R\). A necessary and sufficient condition on \(\{\tau_i\}_{1\leq i\leq s}\) for \(B\) to be Noetherian is established and shown to imply that \(A=B\). An example is given in which \(B=A\) is not Noetherian. The results are applied to excellent local rings and partial results on the descent of excellence from \(R^*\) to \(B\) are obtained.