Determinantal ideals (Q2642414)

The book deals with the study of standard determinantal ideals, determinantal ideals, and symmetric determinantal ideals, i.e., ideals generated by the maximal minors of a homogeneous polynomial matrix, by the minors (not necessarily maximal) of a homogeneous polynomial matrix, and by the minors of homogeneous symmetric polynomial matrix resp. These types of ideals occur in a natural way in several circumstances in commutative algebra, algebraic geometry and invariant theory. They serve as examples in various branches of these fields and have remarkable properties. There is a large research literature about them, starting in a systematic way with the work of \textit{J. A. Eagon} and \textit{D. G. Northcott} [Proc. R. Soc. Lond., Ser. A 269, 188--204 (1962; Zbl 0106.25603)], and \textit{J. A. Eagon} and \textit{M. Hochster} [Am. J. Math. 93, 1020--1058 (1971; Zbl 0244.13012)]. For a systematic treatment of the subject in regard to their combinatorial and algebraic propertis one might consult \textit{W. Bruns}' and \textit{U. Vetter}'s book ``Determinantal rings'' [Lect. Notes Math. 1327 (1988; Zbl 0673.13006)]. In addition to these research results the author of the present book is mainly interested in the following crucial problems of these ideals: (1) complete intersection-liaison classes and Gorenstein-liaison classes, (2) The multiplicity conjecture, and (3) Unobstructness and dimension of families of standard determinantal ideals, determinantal ideals, and symmetric determinantal ideals. The material of the book is split into five sections. It starts with Section 1 ``Background''. It introduces the most relevant notions from commutative algebra, homological algebra and algebraic geometry for the study of determinantal ideals. The most important fact are the definitions of complete intersection-liaison and Gorenstein-liaison as developed in recent research. In particular, there is a presentation of G-liaison theory as a theory of divisors on arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay schemes which collapses to the setting of CI-liaison theory as a theory of generalized divisors on a complete intersection scheme. In section 2 ``CI-liaison and G-liaison of standard determinantal ideals'' there is a proof of Gaeta's theorem that every arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay codimension 2 subscheme in projective \(n\)-space can be CI-linked in a finite number of steps to a complete intersection subscheme, i.e. it is licci. As a generalization it is shown that Gaeta's theorem can be extended to a result on standard determinantal ideals. It is shown that any standard determinantal subscheme of arbitrary codiemnsion in projective \(n\)-space can be G-linked in a finite number of steps to a complete intersection subscheme, i.e. it is glicci. Section 3 ``Multiplicity conjecture for standard determinantal ideals'' is concerned with the so-called multiplicity conjecture, which claims an upper and a lower bound for the multiplicity \(e(R/I)\) of a graded Cohen-Macaulay ideal \(I \subset R = K[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\) in terms of the lower and upper degree in a minimal generating set of the syzygies of \(R/I.\) This problem was posed by \textit{J. Herzog}, and \textit{H. Srinavan} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 350, 2879--2902 (1998; Zbl 0899.13026)]. In recent research this problem has attained much attention, mainly also by the author's solution of the problem for standard determinantal ideals as presented in Section 3. Recently \textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{F.-O. Schreyer} [Betti numbers of graded modules and cohomology of vector bundles, \url{arXiv: 0712.1843}] have proved the conjecture in a more general setting. In Chapter 4 the author considered some aspects concerning families of standard determinantal schemes by view of their Hilbert schemes. In 1975 \textit{G. Ellingsrud} [Ann. Sci. École Norm. Sup. (4) 8, 423--431 (1975; Zbl 0325.14002)] proved - among others - that every arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay codimension two closed projective scheme is unobstructed, i.e., the corresponding point in the Hilbert scheme is smooth. The purpose of Chapter 4 ``Unobstructedness and dimension of families of standard determinantal ideals'' is to extend Ellingsrud's results - viewed as statements on standard determinantal ideals - to arbitrary codimension. In the final Chapter 5 ``Determinantal Ideals, Symmetric Determinantal Ideals, and Open Problems'' the author addresses (for these classes of determinantal ideals) the results discussed in the prevoius sections for standard determinantal ideals, namely: (1) CI-liaison and G-liaison for determinantal and symmetric determinantal ideals and (2) unobstructness and dimension of families of determinantal and symmetric determinantal ideals. In particular, the author poses some open problems that arise in this new context and adds some conjectures raised in this work. The present book could be used for a seminar and also as extension material for courses in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. In particular it introduces an interested reader to the geometric nature of standard determinantal ideals in regard to liaison and Gorenstein liaison.