Componentwise linearity of projective varieties with almost maximal degree (Q2031597)

Let \(X \subset \mathbb P^{n+e}\) be a non-degenerate closed subscheme of dimension \(n\) and codimension~\(e\) over an infinite field \(k\). Three important invariants of \(X\) are the degree \(\deg(X)\), the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity and the reduction number \(r = r(X)\). The reduction number of \(X\) with respect to a \(k\)-subalgebra \(S\) of the coordinate ring \(R_X\) of \(X\), denoted \(r_S(R_X)\), is the supremum of the degrees of all homogeneous minimal generators of \(R_X\) as an \(S\)-module, where \(S = k[x_0,\dots,x_{n+e}]\). The reduction number, \(r\), of \(R_X\) is the least \(r_S(R_X)\), where \(S\) runs over all Noether normalizations. It is known that there is an upper bound \(\deg(X) \leq \binom{e+r}{e}\). It is also known that equality is achieved if and only if \(X\) is arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay and has an \((r+1)\)-linear resolution. Some information is also known when \(\deg(X) = \binom{e+r}{e}-1\) (almost maximal degree), in terms of the Betti table of \(I_X\). In this paper the authors study the structure of the saturated defining ideal of \(X\) when \(X\) has almost maximal degree. The authors want to know when this ideal is componentwise linear (meaning that for any \(d\), the degree \(d\) component of the ideal has a linear minimal free resolution); this is a question originally posed by Murai. Here the authors give a complete answer to this question.