Ideals of general forms and the ubiquity of the weak Lefschetz property. (Q1812032)

Let \(d_1, \ldots, d_r\) denote a set of positive integers. Let \(I = (F_1, \ldots, F_r)\) denote an ideal in a polynomial ring \(R\) in \(n\) variables generated by generically chosen forms of degrees \(d_1,\ldots,d_r.\) In the general case, the Hilbert function of \(R/I\) has been conjectured by \textit{R. Fröberg} [Math. Scand. 56, 117--144 (1985; Zbl 0582.13007)]. In order to achieve the Hilbert function of \(R/I\) the authors have investigated the structure of the minimal free resolution of \(R/I\) over \(R.\) In an earlier paper [see \textit{J. Migliore} and \textit{R. M. Miró-Roig}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 355, 1--36 (2003; Zbl 1053.13005)], the authors have shown that for \(r = n+1\) the resolution of \(R/I\) has redundant terms which are not forced by Koszul (first or higher) syzygies among the \(F_i\)'s and could not be predicted from the Hilbert function. This is extended in the paper under review to the case of \(n + 1 \leq r \leq 2n-2.\) Moreover, if Fröberg's conjecture on the Hilbert function is true, it is shown that any such redundant terms in the minimal free resolution must occur in the top two possible degrees of the free modules that occur in the minimal free resolution. For any form \(F \in R\) of degree \(d\) let \(A = R/I\) and \((\times F): A_i \to A_{i+d}\) denote the induced homomorphism by the multiplication map by \(F\) on \(A.\) The algebra \(A\) has the weak Lefschetz property, the maximal rank property, respectively the strong Lefschetz property, respectively whenever the map has maximal rank for all \(i\) provided \(d=1\) and \(F\) is chosen generically, respectively \(F\) is chosen generically of degree \(d,\) respectively \(F = L^d\) for a general linear form \(L\) and all \(d \geq 1.\) It is clear that the strong Lefschetz property implies the maximal rank property, and that maximal rank property implies the weak Lefschetz property. Closely related to the Fröberg conjecture ist the notion of strong Lefschetz and slightly less connected the weak Lefschetz property. As an intermediate notion the maximal rank property is studied by the authors. It is shown that any ideal of general forms in the polynomial ring of four variables has the weak Lefschetz property. For certain choices of degrees, any complete intersection has the weak Lefschetz property and any almost complete intersection has the weak Lefschetz property. Finally it is shown that mostly Artinian `hypersurface sections' of zero-dimensional schemes in \(\mathbb P^2\) have the weak Lefschetz property.