Big polynomial rings with imperfect coefficient fields (Q2238460)

Let \(R=k[x_1,\ldots,x_N]\) be a polynomial ring with coefficients in a field \(k\). Stillman's conjecture asserts that given \(n\) forms of degrees at most \(d\), there is a bound for the projective dimension of the ideal the forms generate that depends on \(n\) and \(d\) but not on the number \(N\) of variables. Stillman's conjecture has been proved by Ananyan and Hochster in their paper ``Small subalgebras of polynomial rings and Stillman's conjecture''. The authors of the paper under review gave a different proof of Stillman's conjecture in their paper ``Big polynomial rings and Stillman's conjecture''. The main ingredient in their proof was their theorem asserting that the inverse limit of polynomial rings \(k[x_1,\ldots,x_N]\) is itself a polynomial ring whenever \(k\) is semiperfect. The goal of the paper under review is to remove the semiperfect hypothesis from the aforementioned result. The proof of the polynomiality of inverse limits in the semiperfect case relied on a characterization of polynomial rings through derivations. In characteristic zero the authors showed in their previous work that a ring is isomorphic to a polynomial ring if and only if it has enough derivations, while in positive characteristic a ring is isomorphic to a polynomial ring if and only if it has enough Hasse derivations. They then proceed to show that the inverse limit of polynomial rings has enough derivations in characteristic 0 and enough Hasse derivations in the semiperfect, positive characteristic case. In the paper under review the authors give a different characterization of polynomial rings in positive characteristic via Hasse derivations. They use this new characterization to prove that the inverse limit of polynomial rings is isomorphic to a polynomial ring even when the coefficient field is not semiperfect.