Bounds on regularity of quadratic monomial ideals (Q2194763)

Let \(k\) be a field and \(S=k[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\) be the polynomial ring in \(n\) variables over \(k\). Suppose that \(M\) is a graded \(S\)-module with minimal free resolution \[0 \longrightarrow \cdots \longrightarrow \bigoplus_{j}S(-j)^{\beta_{1,j}(M)} \longrightarrow \bigoplus_{j}S(-j)^{\beta_{0,j}(M)}\longrightarrow M \longrightarrow 0.\] The Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity (or simply, regularity) of \(M\), denote by \(\mathrm{reg}(M)\), is defined as follows: \[\mathrm{reg}(M)=\max\{j-i|\ \beta_{i,j}(M)\neq0\}.\] The regularity of \(M\) is an important invariant in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. In the paper under review, the authors study the regularity of quadratic square-free monomial ideals. There is a natural correspondence between quadratic square-free monomial ideals of \(S\) and finite simple graphs with \(n\) vertices. Indeed, to any graph \(G\), one associates its edge ideal \(I(G)\) which is generated by quadratic square-free monomials corresponding to edges of \(G\). As the first main result of this paper it is shown that if \(G_1\) and \(G_2\) are subgraphs of \(G\) which cover cliques of \(G\) (i.e. any clique of \(G\) is a clique in either \(G_1\) or \(G_2\)), then \[\mathrm{reg}(I(G))\leq \max\{\mathrm{reg}(I(G_1)),\mathrm{reg}(I(G_2)), \mathrm{reg}(I(G_1\cap G_2))+1\}.\] Using this result, the authors are able to prove, improve and generalize many of the known bounds on regularity of quadratic square-free monomial ideals.