Simple \(\mathcal{D}\)-module components of local cohomology modules (Q2219011)

Let \(k\) be a field of characteristic zero. For a projective variety \(V\) in \(\mathbb{P}_k^n\) with homogeneous ideal \(I\) in \(A=k[x_0,\dots,x_n]\), the paper under review mainly considers the local cohomology modules \(H_I^i(A)\). Following a theorem of Kashiwara, these modules have natural structures of holonomic \(\mathcal{D}\)-modules over \(A\), which implies that they are of finite length as \(\mathcal{D}\)-modules, and have a finite composition series whose factors are simple \(\mathcal{D}\)-modules. And this paper mainly cares about these simple \(\mathcal{D}\)-module components, and the geometry of \(V\) that can be learnt from them. Suppose that \(V\) here has codimension \(r\). It is well-known that \(H_I^i(A)=0\) for \(i<r\). And in the ``non-critical case'' when \(i>r\), these local cohomology modules have been studied by Ogus, in terms of the algebraic de Rham cohomology of \(V\). As for the remaining ``critical case'' when \(i=r\), the situation is not very clear previously. This paper studies this problem purely algebraically, by passing to the completion. If \(M\) is a \(\mathcal{D}\)-module over \(A\), one can consider the completion \(\hat{M}=M\otimes_A \hat{A}\) for \(\hat{A}=k[\![x_0,\dots,x_n]\!]\). This completion module has an induced \(\mathcal{D}\)-module structure over \(\hat{A}\). Furthermore, there is a natural map \(\varphi^i: H_{DR}^{i}(M)\to H_{DR}^i(\hat{M})\) between the de Rham cohomology groups. This map may fail to be an isomorphism, even when \(M\) is holonomic. But by the work of this paper, it does provide an isomorphism when \(M=H_I^i(A)\) in the current circumstance. Furthermore, \(\hat{M}\) is now holonomic over \(\hat{A}\). By passing to the power series ring, one has the following benefit. If \(M\) is a holonomic \(\mathcal{D}\)-module over \(R = [\![x_1, \dots , x_n]\!]\), the dimension of the top de Rham cohomology module \(H_{DR}^n(M)\) is equal to the largest number of copies of the injective envelope \(E\) of \(k\) over \(R\), whose direct sum \(E^m\) can appear as a quotient \(\mathcal{D}\)-module of \(M\). To prove this technical result, the authors need an extension of methods adopted previously by van den Essen. As the main application of this approach, when the variety \(V\) is nonsingular, the simple \(\mathcal{D}\)-module components of \(H_I^i(A)\) can be described completely for all \(i\), in terms of the Betti numbers of \(V\). In particular, when \(V\) is a rational curve in \(\mathbb{P}_k^n\), the \(\mathcal{D}\)-module \(H_I^{n-1}(A)\) is simple. This type of result seems rare in the literature, and is difficult to obtain. It is worth adding that, \textit{N. Switala} and \textit{W. Zhang} [Math. Res. Lett. 27, No. 3, 887--901 (2020; Zbl 1457.14044)] were later inspired by some hints regarding the duality and graded \(\mathcal{D}\)-modules from this paper. Hence they are able to achieve some similar results by taking alternative approaches.