Symmetric decomposition of the associated graded algebra of an Artinian Gorenstein algebra (Q2200938)

Let \(k\) be an arbitrary field, \(R = k\{x_1,\dots x_r \}\) the completed local ring in \(r\) variables, and let \(\mathfrak D = k_{DP}[X_1,\dots,X_r]\) the divided power algebra in \(X_1,\dots,X_r\). We take \(R\) as acting on \(\mathfrak D\) by contraction. Macaulay showed that giving an ideal \(I\) of \(R\) defining an artinian quotient \(A=R/I\) of length \(n\) is equialent to giving a length \(n\) \(R\)-submodule \(\hat A\) of \(\mathfrak D\). \(\hat A\) is called the \textit{Macaulay inverse system \(\hat A = I^\perp\) of \(I\)}. \(\hat A\) is \textit{Gorenstein} if \(\hat A\) has a single generator \(f_A\). From now on we assume \(\hat A\) is Gorenstein. Let \(\mathfrak m_A\) denote the maximum ideal of \(A\); then the \textit{socle degree} \(j_A\) of \(A\) is \(\max \{ i \ | \ \mathfrak m_A^i \neq 0\}\). The degree of \(f_A\) is equal to \(j_A\), and \(f_A\) generates the cylic \(A\)-module \(\hat A\). The first author showed, many years ago, that the associated graded algebra \(A^* = Gr_{m_A} (A)\) of \(A\) has a canonical stratification by ideals \(C(a) = C_A(a)\) whose successive quotients \(Q(a) = Q_A(a) \cong C(a) / C(a+1)\) are reflexive \(A^*\) modules; these \(Q(a)\) are the \textit{symmetric subquotients} of \(A^*\). The Hilbert function \(H(A)\) may be written as a sum of symmetric sequences \(H_A(a) = H(Q_A(a))\); these sequences are the \textit{symmetric components} of the Hilbert function, and the \textit{symmetric decomposition} \(\mathcal D(A)\) of \(H(A)\) is the sequence \(\mathcal D(A) = (H_A(0), H_A(1), \dots, H_A(j_A))\). This paper studies this symmetric subquotient decomposition of \(A^*\). The authors study which sequences may occur as these summands, and construct examples of artinian Gorenstein algebras for which \(H_A(a)\) can have interior zeros, for instance of the form \(H_A(a) = (0,s,0,\dots,0,s,0)\). They determine which sequences \(H_A(a)\) can be non-zero when the dual generator is linear in a subset of the variables. They also study so-called \textit{exotic summands} of the Macaulay dual generator, and apply this to Gorenstein algebras that are connected sums.