Cohen-Macaulayness for symbolic power ideals of edge ideals (Q2428015)

\textit{M. Crupi}, \textit{G. Rinaldo}, \textit{N. Terai}, and \textit{K. Yoshida} [Commun. Algebra 38, No. 9, 3347--3357 (2010; Zbl 1203.13023)] showed that an edge ideal is a complete intersection if and only if some power of the ideal, with exponent greater than the height, is Cohen-Macaulay. This paper explores a variation of this wherein symbolic powers are considered. First, the authors prove that every positive symbolic power of the edge ideal of a finite disjoint union of complete graphs is Cohen-Macaulay. Using this, the authors prove edge ideals of a finite disjoint union of complete graphs are exactly the edge ideals which have some Cohen-Macaulay symbolic power with exponent at least three. As a corollary (and a strengthening of the aforementioned theorem of Crupi and the authors), the authors show that an edge ideal is a complete intersection if some power of the ideal, with exponent greater than three, is Cohen-Macaulay. The ring \(R/I\) has \textit{finite local cohomology} if \(H_{\mathfrak{m}}^i(R/I)\) has finite length for every \(i \neq \dim{R/I}\). The authors close with an exploration of the presence of finite local cohomology for symbolic powers of edge ideals. The results are in a similar vein as those above. In particular, a (suitably restricted) edge ideal has some symbolic power with exponent at least three that has finite local cohomology exactly when the independence complex of the graph can be written as a disjoint union of independence complexes of finite disjoint unions of complete graphs. This translates to ordinary powers as the following: the independence complex of an edge ideal is a pure, locally complete intersection complex see \textit{N. Terai} and \textit{K. Yoshida} [Ill. J. Math. 53, No. 2, 413--429 (2009; Zbl 1186.13023)] if and only if some power of the edge ideal, with exponent greater than three, has finite local cohomology.