Multiplicities of edge subrings (Q2575790)

The authors study the multiplicity of the edge ring \(K[G]\) of bipartite simple graphs \(G\). A first main result is that if \(G\) is planar, the multiplicity is at most \(\prod _{k\geq 2} k^{r_k}\), where \(r_k\) is the number of atomic cycles of length \(2k\). When equality holds, the edge ring is a complete intersection. Unlike previous bounds, this is tight. For the proof it is provided a method to obtain a regular sequence for the atomic ideal of a bipartite graph simply embedded in an orientable surface. The outcome of the study of the canonical module of \(K[G]\) is a graph-theoretical obstruction for the Gorenstein property of the edge ring. In the last part of this interesting paper it is shown that the multiplicity of the Ehrhart ring of any simple bipartite graph coincides with the multiplicity of the edge ring. More generally, if \(G\) is a simple, nonbipartite graph with \(c\) nonbipartite components, the multiplicity of the Ehrhart ring is \(2^{c-1}\) times the multiplicity of the edge ring.