On the degree function coefficients of complete ideals in two-dimensional regular local rings (Q1946164)

Let \((R,\mathcal{M})\) be a two-dimensional regular local ring with algebraically closed residue field and let \(I\) be an \(\mathcal{M}\)-primary complete (i.e., integrally closed) ideal of \(R\). Let \(v_1,\ldots,v_n\) be the Rees valuations associated to \(I\). Rees and Sharp proved that there exist positive integers \(d(I,v_1),\ldots, d(I,v_n)\), here called degree function coefficients of \(I\), such that for \(0 \neq x \in \mathcal{M}\) one has \[ \displaystyle \text{e} \left(\frac{I+xR}{xR}\right) = d(I,v_1)\cdot v_1(x) + \ldots + d(I,v_n)\cdot v_n(x). \] These integers carry many useful information about \(I\). In this paper the author gives a new interpretation of such integers: when \(I\) is simple (i.e., is not a product of proper ideals), then it has only one Rees valuation \(v\), and \(d(I,v)=1\). More generally, by Zariski's Unique Factorization Theorem, one can write \(I = I_1^{s_1}\cdot I_2^{s_2}\cdot \ldots \cdot I_n^{s_n}\), where the \(I_j\)'s are complete and simple. It is here proved that, being \(v_j\) the unique Rees valuation of \(I_j\) (\(j=1,\ldots,n\)), or equivalently being \(v_1,\ldots,v_n\) the Rees valuations of \(I\), one has \[ d(I,v_1) = s_1,\;d(I,v_2) = s_2, \ldots \ldots, d(I,v_n) = s_n. \] Finally, it is shown that if \((a,b)\) is a reduction of \(I\), then \[ \displaystyle s_j = \left[k(v_j) : k\left(\overline{\left(\frac{a}{b}\right)_{v_j}}\right)\right], \] where \(\displaystyle \overline{\left(\frac{a}{b}\right)_{v_j}}\) denotes the image of \(\displaystyle \frac{a}{b}\) in the residue field \(k(v_j)\) of the unique valuation ring \(V_j\) of \(I_j\). As a consequence, using a recent result of \textit{W. Heinzer} and \textit{M.-K. Kim} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 216, No. 1, 1--11 (2012; Zbl 1232.13003)], one has \[ \displaystyle d(I,v_1) = e\left(\frac{R[It]}{Q_1}\right), \ldots \ldots, d(I,v_n) = e\left(\frac{R[It]}{Q_n}\right), \] \(Q_1,\ldots,Q_n\) being the minimal primes of \(R[It]\).