On the componentwise linearity and the minimal free resolution of a tetrahedral curve (Q2497421)

A tetrahedral curve is an unmixed, nonreduced, one-dimensional subscheme of projective \(3\)-space whose homogeneous ideal \(I\) is the intersection of powers of the ideals of the six coordinate lines: \(I= (a,b)^{a_1} \cap (a,c)^{a_2} \cap (a,d)^{a_3} \cap (b,c)^{a_4} \cap (b,d)^{a_5} \cap(c,d)^{a_6} \subset k[a,b,c,d]\). The second and third authors have shown [Int. Math. Res. Not. 15, 899--939 (2005; Zbl 1093.14044)], that these curves have very nice combinatorial properties and they have made a careful study of the even liaison classes of these curves, by using the machinery of basic double links. Starting with a tetrahedal curve, one does a sequence of basic double links, getting progressively smaller tetrahedal curves. In the above quoted article the authors find the resolutions of the minimal tetrahedral curves and show that the resolutions are all linear. In the paper under review the authors describe an easy iterative procedure for calculating the graded Betti numbers of any tetrahedral curve from just the \(a_i\) and a knowledge of the graded Betti numbers of the minimal curves. In particular they determine when the ideal \(I\) of a tetrahedral curve is componentwise linear, i.e. for any \(d\) the degree component \(I_d\) of \(I\) generates a new ideal whose minimal free resolution is linear. Some other common examples of componentwise linear ideals include strongly stable ideals and \textbf{a}-stable ideals. Componentwise linear ideals were introduced in [\textit{J. Herzog, T. Hibi}, Nagoya Math. J. 153, 141--153 (1999; Zbl 0930.13018)]. Componentwise linear ideals have a lot of interesting algebraic properties. For example \textit{A. Aramova, J. Herzog, T. Hibi} [Adv. Math. 152, 72--77 (2000; Zbl 0968.13008)] proved that in characteristic \(0\) a homogeneous ideal \(J\) and its reverse-lex generic initial ideal \(\text{gin}(J)\) have the same graded Betti numbers if and only if \(J\) is componentwise linear. So they study also the reverse-lex generic initial ideal of a tetrahedral curve.