Srinivas' problem for rational double points (Q2346064)

Let \(B\) be the completion of a local geometric normal domain \(A\). In his survey paper [Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 33, 231--276 (2001; Zbl 1099.13509)], \textit{V. Srinivas} posed several problems about class groups of Noetherian local normal domains , in particular he asked which subgroups of \(\mathrm{Cl} B\) arise as the image of the map \(j: \mathrm{Cl} A \rightarrow \mathrm{Cl} B\) on class groups, as \(A\) varies among normal geometric domains with \(B\cong\quad\hat{A}\) . The paper under review shows that, for two-dimensional rational double point singularities, all subgroups arise in this way. The main theorem is the following: let \(B\) be the completion of the local ring of a rational double point on a surface; then for any subgroup \(H\) of \(\mathrm{Cl} B\), there is a local geometric normal ring \(A\) with \(B\cong\quad\hat{A}\) and \(H = \mathrm{Cl} A \subset \mathrm{Cl} B\). To prove this result, the authors follow the well-known classification of the surface rational double points, find a base locus and apply their extension of the Noether-Lefschetz theorem to linear systems with base locus [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2011, No. 6, 1220--1244 (2011; Zbl 1227.14011)], then they use power series techniques to compute the images of the local class groups. They also show that, in any dimension, every local ring of a normal hypersurface singularity has completion isomorphic to the completion of a geometric UFD.