On sequentially Cohen-Macaulay modules (Q2480078)

The notion of sequentially Cohen-Macaulay modules was introduced by \textit{R. P. Stanley} [Combinatorics and commutative algebra, 2nd edition, Birkhäuser (1996; Zbl 0838.13008)] and independently by the reviewer [Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math. 206, 245--264 (1999; Zbl 0942.13015)] under the name Cohen-Macaulay filtered modules. Moreover, the reviewer posed the problem for a characterization of sequentially Cohen-Macaulay modules by systems of parameters. The authors of the present paper define -- in terms of the dimension filtration -- the notion of a good system of parameters. Let \(M\) be a finitely generated module over a local ring \((R, \mathfrak m).\) The dimension filtration \(D_0 \subset D_1 \subset \ldots \subset D_t = M\) is given by (a) \(D_0 \subset M\) is the largest submodule of finite length. (b) \(D_{i-1}\) is the largest submodule of \(D_i\) such that \(\dim D_{i-1} < \dim D_i\) for \(i = t, t-1, \ldots, 1,\) and \(d_i = \dim D_i.\) This is a modification of the reviewer's original definition (see loc. cit.). The module \(M\) is called sequentially Cohen-Macaulay if \(D_i/D_{i-1}, i = t, \ldots, 1\) is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension \(d_i.\) A system of parameters \(\underline{x} = x_1, \ldots, x_d, d = \dim M,\) is called good, whenever \(D_i \cap (x_{d_i + 1}, \ldots, x_d) M = 0\) for \(i = 0,1,\ldots,t-1.\) With these notions the authors give a complete characterization of sequentially Cohen-Macaulay modules in terms of systems of parameters: (1) \(M\) is sequentially Cohen-Macaulay if and only if \(l(M/\underline{x}M) = \sum_{i=0}^t e(x_1, \ldots, x_{d_i}; D_i)\) for all good systems of parameters \(\underline{x} = x_1,\ldots, x_d\) of \(M.\) (2) \(M\) is sequentially Cohen-Macaulay if and only if there is a good system of parameters \(\underline{x} = x_1, \ldots, x_d,\) such that \(l(M/x_1^2,\ldots, x_d^2)M) = \sum_{i=0}^t 2^{d_i} e(x_1, \ldots, x_{d_i}; D_i).\) (Here \(l, e\) denotes the length and the multiplicity resp.) These are variants of the characterization of Cohen-Macaulay modules in terms of length and multiplicity. For their proofs the authors make extensive use of the theory of \(d\)-sequences and their \(dd\)-sequences as introduced by the authors [see J. Algebra Appl. 6, No. 2, 207--231 (2007; Zbl 1183.13027)]. As an application they prove a rather practical criterion in order to check whether the Stanley-Reisner ring of a finite simplicial complex is sequentially Cohen-Macaulay. Furthermore they classify the sequentially Cohen-Macaulay Stanley-Reisner rings in small dimension.