Betti numbers of multigraded modules of generic type (Q2254337)

The paper under review is closely related to the authors' previous two papers [\textit{H. Charalambous} and \textit{A. Tchernev}, Math. Res. Lett. 10, No. 4, 535--550 (2003; Zbl 1082.13009); \textit{A. Tchernev}, Adv. Math. 208, No. 1, 75--134 (2007; Zbl 1116.13010)]. Let \(R=k[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\) be the polynomial ring over a field \(k\) with standard multigrading. Given a finitely generated multigraded \(R\)-module \(L\), this paper introduces a new notion of generic multidegrees relative to \(L\). If every multidegree in the lcm-lattice \(\Lambda(L)\) is generic, \(L\) is called a module of generic type, which (in the case of monomial ideals) generalizes the notion of generic type defined by \textit{D. Bayer} et al. [Math. Res. Lett. 5, No. 1--2, 31--46 (1998; Zbl 0909.13010)]. Further, the authors prove that if \(I\) is a monomial ideal and \(R/I\) is of generic type, then the algebraic Scarf complex is a minimal free multigraded resolution of \(R/I\). The main result of this paper is about the Betti numbers in generic multidegrees. If \(\alpha \in \Lambda(L)\) is generic, then \(\beta_{i,\alpha}(L)\) can only be nonzero in at most one homological degree \(i\). The explicit formulas for this homological degree and \(\beta_{i,\alpha}(L)\) are given, and they contain some combinatorial computations about certain minors of a matroid associated to \(L\). (See Theorem 6.5) To prove Theorem 6.5, the authors get some interesting results about matroids. For example, given a matroid \(M\), its \(\beta\)-invariant \(\beta(M)\) can be computed by the homology of a certain simplicial complex, or by the homology of a certain complex of vector spaces.