Graded Cohen-Macaulay domains and lattice polytopes with short \(h\)-vector (Q2167319)

Let \(R=\bigoplus_{i\ge 0}R_i\) be a Noetherian graded Cohen-Macaulay domain with \(R_0=\Bbbk\) being an algebraically closed field. Let \(S=\Bbbk[R_1]\). Suppose that \(R\) is \textit{semi-standard graded}, namely, \(R\) is finitely generated as an \(S\)-module. The main result of this paper states that the graded Betti numbers \(\beta_{p,p+s}^S(R)=0\) for \(0\le p\le h_1-h_s\) where \((h_0,h_1,\dots,h_s)\) is the \(h\)-vector of \(R\). Green's vanishing theorem as presented by \textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{J. Koh} [Adv. Math. 90, No. 1, 47--76 (1991; Zbl 0754.13012)] is central in its proof. As an important corollary, if \(h_s\le h_1\), then \(R\) is generated by elements of degree \(\le s-1\) as an \(S\)-module. This result is then applied to study the Ehrhart ring \(\Bbbk[P]\) of a lattice polytope \(P\subset \mathbb{R}^d\). Various bounds on different generators can be slightly improved. In particular, if the \(h\)-vector of \(\Bbbk[P]\) takes the form \((1,h_1^*,h_2^*)\) with \(h_2^*<h_1^*\), then \(P\) has \textit{integer decomposition property} (IDP).