Symbolic powers of planar point configurations (Q2376558)

Let \(Z\) be a finite set of points in the projective plane and let \(I=I(Z)\) be its homogeneous ideal. In this paper the numbers \(\alpha_{m,n} = \alpha(I^{(m)}) - \alpha(I^{(m)})\) are studied, where \(\alpha(I)\) is the initial degree of an ideal \(I\), and \(I^{(m)}\) is the symbolic power of \(I\) (in this context this means that if \(I = \bigcap_{i=1}^s I_{P_i}\), then \(I^{(m)}=\bigcap_{i=1}^s I_{P_i}^m\)). The main result in the paper is: Theorem. If \(\alpha_{p+1,p}(Z) = \dots = \alpha_{p+k,p+k-1}(Z) = d\), then: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[i)] for \(d=1\), \(k=2\), any \(p\), the set \(Z\) is collinear, i.e. \(\alpha(Z) = 1\). \item[ii)] for \(d=2\), \(k\geq 4\), \(p=1\), \(Z\) is contained in a conic, i.e. \(\alpha(Z) = 2\). \end{itemize}} Moreover, both results are sharp. The main steps toward this result are the following: Theorem 3.1. Let \(Z \subset \mathbb{P}^2\) be a set of points such that \(\alpha_{k,1}=k-1\), for some \(k\geq 3\). Then \(\alpha (Z) = 1\). Theorem 3.2. Let \(Z \subset \mathbb{P}^2\) be a set of points such that \(\alpha_{k,k-1}=1\), for some \(k\geq 2\). Then either: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[-] \(\alpha (Z) = 1\). \item[-] \(Z\) is given by the intersection points of some arrangment of lines (also non-reduced and more than two meeting in a point). \end{itemize}} Theorem 4.1. Let \(Z \subset \mathbb{P}^2\) be a finite set of points such that \(\alpha_{k,k-1}=2\), for some \(k\geq 2\). Let \(C\) be a divisor of degree \(d=\alpha(kZ)\), vanishing along \(kZ\). Then every irreducible component of \(C\) is a rational curve.