Symbolic powers of radical ideals (Q2477866)

The main goal of this paper is to generalize to radical ideals a theorem of Hochster that provides criteria for a prime ideal \(P\) to satisfy the identity \(P^n=P^{(n)}\) for all \(n\). Hochster's result uses a ``test sequence'' of ideals \(J_i\), constructed recursively from a generating set of \(P\) to detect the equality of the ordinary and symbolic powers of \(P\). If \(R\) is a noetherian domain and \(P\) has \(m\) generators, one passes to the larger ring \(S=R[x_1,\ldots, x_m]\) to form the nested chain of ideals \(J_i\). The equality of the powers is then implied by the primality of \(PS+J\), where the chain stops at \(J\). Other primality conditions are also given, including one on the extended Rees ring. The authors give some basic facts about the ideals \(J_i\) and provide examples to show how the theorem can be used for an ideal generated by a regular sequence and for a particular m-primary ideal that is not generated by a regular sequence. The authors also show that if the generating set for the ideal \(P\) contains a regular sequence that also generates \(P\), then the chain of test ideals stabilizes at \(J_1\). In section 3, the authors specify their definition of the generalized symbolic power by localizing at the complement of the union of the minimal primes of the radical ideal \(P\). They then prove, in Theorem 3.6, their generalization of Hochster's result. Test ideals are again used, and in this generalization, they show that \(PS+J\) being radical (along with the existence of an element not in any minimal prime of \(P\) that is a zero-divisor on \(S/(PS+J)\)) detects the equality \(P^n=P^{(n)}\) for all \(n\). Each of the other primality conditions of Hochster's theorem is also extended to a radical condition, including the condition on the extended Rees ring. It is shown that in the case of a prime ideal, each of the conditions of the generalized theorem becomes equivalent to the corresponding condition on prime ideals. As an application of the theorem, the authors show that in a reduced noetherian ring, a radical ideal generated by a regular sequence satisfies \(P^n=P^{(n)}\) for all \(n\). They also show that the ideal generated by the \(2\times 2\) permanents of a generic \(2\times r\) matrix satisfies \(P^n=P^{(n)}\) for all \(n\) if and only if \(r=2\) or \(r=3\). (Here a permanent has the form \(y_{1i}y_{2j}+y_{2i}y_{1j}\)).