On semicontinuity of multiplicities in families (Q2187924)

This work introduces a new framework for understanding uniform behavior of singularity measures such as Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity, Hilbert-Samuel multiplicity, and F-rational signature, for ideals varying in families of rings. Namely, the author calls the combination of a ring map $R \rightarrow A$ with an ideal $I$ of $A$ an \textit{affine $I$-family} if $A/I$ is module-finite over $R$, $I \cap R = 0$, and certain dimension formulas hold. (This is a restricted version of Lipman's notion of an $I$-family from [\textit{J. Lipman}, Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math. 68, 111--147 (1982; Zbl 0508.13013)]). Then one analyzes the ideals $I(\mathfrak p)$, $I(\mathfrak p)^{[p^e]}$ (when char $k(\mathfrak p) = p>0$) and $I(\mathfrak p)^n$ for $\mathfrak p \in $Spec$(R)$ and various $e, n \in \mathbb N$ in the rings $R(\mathfrak p)$, where the notation $(\mathfrak p)$ means to tensor over $R$ with the residue field $k(\mathfrak p)$ of $\mathfrak p$. This framework allows the author to recover Lipman's result [loc. cit.] on upper semicontinuity of Hilbert-Samuel multiplicity on the prime spectrum, by showing that the \textit{terms} defining Hilbert-Samuel multiplicity as a limit are also upper semicontinuous in the family. He also recovers some of his own results (see [Compos. Math. 152, No. 3, 477--488 (2016; Zbl 1370.13006)]) on semicontinuity of Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity on the prime spectrum, again by analyzing the terms, where in this case one has an affine $I$-family $R \rightarrow S$ with reduced fibers of dimension $=$ height$(I)$, where $R$ is F-finite. He further obtains upper semicontinuity of Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity in an affine family where char $R=0$ and the characteristics of the fibers can vary but all residue fields of $R$ are F-finite when they are positive characteristic. In particular, when $R = \mathbb Z$, this answers a question of Claudia Miller from [\textit{H. Brenner} et al., J. Algebra 372, 488--504 (2012; Zbl 1435.13014)] in pursuance of obtaining a sensible notion of Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity in equal characteristic zero. The author also parlays his methods to show that for local algebras essentially of finite type over a prime characteristic field, the infimum in Hochster and Yao's definition of F-rational signature is actually achieved. He thus recovers a special case of the result in [\textit{M. Hochster} and \textit{Y. Yao}, ``F-rational signature and drops in the Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity'', Preprint] that the F-rational signature of the ring is positive if and only if the ring is F-rational.