Initially regular sequences and depths of ideals (Q2186021)

Let \(I\) be a proper ideal of a polynomial ring with coefficients in a field, \(R=K[x_1,\dots,x_n]\). Given \(f_1,\dots,f_q \in R\), a sequence of non-constant polynomials, define \(I_1 = \operatorname{in}(I)\) and, recursively, for each \(i>1\), \(I_i=\operatorname{in}(I_{i-1},f_{i-1})\), where at each step a (possibly different) monomial order is fixed. Then \(f_1,\dots,f_q \in R\) is said an \textit{initially regular sequence} on \(R/I\) if, for each \(i=1,\dots,q\), \(f_i\) is regular on \(S/I_i\). This is the main notion defined and studied in this article. Using induction and the well-known relation \(\operatorname{depth} R/I \geq \operatorname{depth} R/\operatorname{in}(I)\), the authors show that the length of an initially regular sequence on \(R/I\) is a lower bound for the depth of \(R/I\). Motivated by this result, they give constructions of initially regular sequences, in a general setting, and apply their results to interesting classes of polynomial ideals. The main result (Theorem 3.11) gives conditions for a sequence of linear forms, \(f_1,\dots,f_q\), to be initially regular. To begin with, each \(f_i\) is given by \[ f_i = \sum\limits_{x_k \in \mathcal{X}_i} x_k, \] where \(\mathcal{X}_1,\dots,\mathcal{X}_q\) are pairwise disjoint sets of variables of \(R\). Then, for every \(i=1,\dots,q\), each \(\mathcal{X}_i\) is subject to the conditions: (i) if the first variable in \(\mathcal{X}_i\) divides a monomial generator of \(\operatorname{in}(I)\) then some other variable in \(\mathcal{X}_i\) must also divide it and (ii) no square of a variable in \(\mathcal{X}_i\) other than, possibly, the first variable, divides a monomial generator of \(\operatorname{in}(I)\). In this setting, \(f_1,\dots,f_q\) is shown to be an initially regular sequence on \(R/I\). Refinements of this technique are further explored. Finally, the authors give examples of application of their results to depth estimation for edge ideals of graphs and hypergraphs, binomial edge ideals of graphs and non-square-free monomial ideals.