Local cohomology and F-stability (Q2654055)

Let \((R,\mathfrak{m}, k)\) be a local noetherian ring of prime characteristic \(p\) and dimension \(d\), and let \(M\) be an artinian \(R\)-module. A Frobenius action on \(M\) is an additive map \(F:M \to M\) such that \(F(rm)=r^pF(m)\) for all \(r \in R, m \in M\). By generalizing a concept originally introduced by Fedder and Watanabe for the local cohomology modules \(\text{H}_{\mathfrak{m}}^i (R)\), the author defines the artinian module \(M\) to be \(F\)-\textit{unstable} if there exists \(N > 0\) such that \(\text{Soc}_R(M) \cap F^e(\text{Soc}_R(M))=0\) for all \(e \geq N\), where \(\text{Soc}_R(M)=\{x \in M \mid \mathfrak{m}x=0 \}\). Otherwise \(M\) is called \(F\)-\textit{stable}. In the case when the ring \(R\) contains a coefficient field \(k\), the \textit{stable} part of the artinian module \(M\), as defined by \textit{R. Hartshorne} and \textit{R. Speiser} [Ann. Math. (2) 105, 45--79 (1977; Zbl 0362.14002)], is the \(k\)-vector space \(M_s:=\bigcap_{j \geq 1 }\langle F^j(M) \rangle_k \subseteq M\), where \(\langle F^j(M) \rangle_k\) is the \(k\)-vector space spanned by \(F^j(M)\) in \(M\). \textit{G. Lyubeznik} [Compos. Math. 142, No. 1, 207--221 (2006; Zbl 1100.13022)] proved that the dimension of \(M_s\) as a \(k\)-vector space does not depend on the choice of the coefficient field. Moreover, if the field \(k\) is perfect, Hartshorne and Speiser [loc. cit.] proved that \(M_s\) is finite dimensional as a \(k\)-vector space. In this paper the author establishes a connection between the \(F\)-stability of the artinian module \(M\) and its stable part by proving that if \(M\) admits an injective Frobenius action \(F\), then \(M\) is \(F\)-stable if and only if \(M_s \neq 0\). Several consequences are obtained by applying this result to the particular case when \(M\) is the top cohomology module of a Cohen-Macaulay ring.