Local cohomology with support in ideals of maximal minors and sub-maximal Pfaffians (Q2445390)

Let \(\mathbb{K}\) denote a field of characteristic zero and \(S\) a polynomial ring over \(\mathbb{K}\). Let \(H\) a reductive group and \(W\) a finite-dimensional \(H\)-representation. Then \(S^H\), the ring of invariants of the natural action of \(H\) on the polynomial ring \( S = \text{Sym}(W)\) is Cohen-Macaulay as shown by \textit{M. Hochster} and \textit{J. L. Roberts} [Adv. Math. 13, 115--175 (1974; Zbl 0289.14010)]. For another finite dimensional \(H\)-representation, the module of covariants is defined as \((S\otimes U)^H\). It is a finitely generated \(S^H\)-module. In a special situation the authors prove a Cohen-Macaulay criterion of \((S\otimes U)^H\). Namely, let \(G\) a \(\mathbb{K}\)-vector space of dimension \(n\). Let \(m > n\) denote an integer and \(H = SL(G)\) the special linear group, \(W = G^{\oplus m}\) and \(S = \text{Sym}(W)\). If \(U = S_{\mu} G\) is the irreducible \(H\)-representation associated to the partion \(\mu = (\mu_1 \geq \mu_2 \geq \ldots \geq \mu_n = 0)\), then \((S\otimes U)^H\) is Cohen-Macaulay if and only if \(\mu_s - \mu_{s+1} < m-n\) for all \(s = 1,\ldots,n-1\). This is proved by computing the local cohomology modules \(H^j_I(S)\) (\(I\) is the ideal generated by the maximal minors of a generic \(m \times n\)-matrix) and their relationship to \((H^j_I(S)\otimes U)^H\). Another result concerns the computation of \(H^j_I(S)\) in the case of \(I\) the ideal generated by the sub-maximal Pfaffians of a generic skew symmetric matrix. The basics for the computation of the local cohomology relies on the use of \(H^j_I(S) = \varinjlim \text{Ext}^j_S(S/I^d,S)\) and the computation of the Ext-modules by geometric techniques for computing syzygies as suggested by the second author [Cohomology of vector bundles and syzygies. Cambridge Tracts in Mathematics 149. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2003; Zbl 1075.13007)].