Linearly related polyominoes (Q2354049)

The aim of this paper is ``to classify all convex polyomino ideals which are linearly related or have a linear resolution''. Moreover, ``convex stack polyominoes whose ideals are extremal Gorenstein are also classified''. In addition, the authors characterize, ``in combinatorial terms, the distributive lattices whose join-meet ideals are extremal Gorenstein or have a linear resolution''. A polyomino ideal is an ideal generated by certain subsets of \(2\)-minors of an \(m\times n\)-matrix \(X\) of indeterminates [\textit{A. A. Qureshi}, J. Algebra 357, 279--303 (2012; Zbl 1262.13013)]. Such a class of ideals includes ``the two-sided ladder determinantal ideals of \(2\)-minors which may also be viewed as the join-meet ideal of a planar distributive lattice''. A very interesting problem is to understand the graded-free resolution of a polyomino ideal. In this paper, the authors study the first syzygy module of such an ideal and classify all convex polyomino ideals which are linearly related. This is the main result of the paper. In order to obtain it, the authors use, as a main tool, the theory of squarefree divisor complexes'', which allows to compute the multi-graded Betti numbers of a toric ideal. Such a theory plays a fundamental role in the development of the paper: ``the polyomino ideal of a convex polyomino may be naturally identified with a toric ideal''.