On the diameter of an ideal (Q1663539)

The dual graph is a classical tool introduced in different contexts, as in algebraic geometry or in combinatorics, in order to study intersection patterns of algebraic curves, or combinatorial properties of simplicial complexes. More in general, it is possible to define the concept of dual graph for ideals in a Noetherian commutative ring. Under different names, this natural notion has already been studied by several authors. Let \(S = k[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\) be a polynomial ring in \(n\) variables over a field \(k.\) For an ideal \(I\subset S,\) let \(Min(I) = \{p_1,\ldots, p_s\}\) be the set of minimal primes of \(I.\) The dual graph \(G(I)\) of \(I\) is the graph \(G = ([s], E),\) where \([s] := \{1, 2,\dots, s\}\) and \[ \{i, j\}\in E \Leftrightarrow \mathrm{height}(p_i + p_j) =\mathrm{height}(I)+1. \] In this paper, authors are interested in studying the diameter of \(G(I),\) in the name of the diameter of \(I\) and denote by \(\mathrm{diam}(I),\) in the homogeneous case. In general the diameter of I can be infinite. If \(\mathrm{diam}(I) < \infty,\) i.e. if \(G(I)\) is connected, then \(I\) must be height-unmixed, that is \(\mathrm{height}(p) = \mathrm{height}(I)\) for every \(p \in \mathrm{Mi n}(I).\) The authors of this paper provide large classes of Hirsch ideals, i.e. ideals satisfying \(\mathrm{diam}(I) = \mathrm{height}(I),\) such as quadratic radical ideals such that \(S/I\) is Gorenstein and \(\mathrm{height}(I) = 4,\) or ideals admitting a square-free complete intersection initial ideal.