The regularity conjecture for prime ideals in polynomial rings (Q2656616)

Let \(L\) be a prime ideal in a standard graded polynomial ring \(S\) over \(C\). Then the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity \(\text{reg}(L)\) is defined as the largest integer \(j\) such that \(\beta_{i,i+j}(L)\neq 0\) for some \(i\), while the degree \(\deg(L)\) is defined to be the multiplicity of \(S/L\). The regularity conjecture for prime ideals, conjectured by \textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{S. Goto} [J. Algebra 88, 89--133 (1984; Zbl 0531.13015)], states that \(\text{reg}(L)\leq \deg L\). In this paper, the authors give an overview of current results related to this conjecture. In particular, they provide a large number of counter-examples to the conjecture. In presenting these counter-examples, the authors demonstrate some new homogenization techniques, introduced in Zbl 1390.13043, which they use to construct prime ideals with high regularity. The end of the paper presents a variety of open questions on the conjecture, including finding an optimal function of \(\deg (L)\) that bounds \(\text{reg}(L)\), and whether the Eisenbud-Goto conjecture might hold for ideals satisfying additional properties.