Good ideals and \(p_g\)-ideals in two-dimensional normal singularities (Q309280)

For a two-dimensional rational singularity, classical theorems of \textit{J. Lipman} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 36, 195--279 (1969; Zbl 0181.48903)] showed that every integrally closed ideal \(I\) satisfies \(I^2=IQ\) for every minimal reduction \(Q\) of \(I\), and that if \(I\), \(J\) are integrally closed ideals, then so is their product \(IJ\). The goal of this paper is to explore the ideal theory for a general two-dimensional normal non-rational singularity. Let \((A,m)\) be an excellent normal local ring of dimension \(2\) such that \(A\) contains an algebraically closed field \(k\cong A/m\) and let \(f\): \(X\to\mathrm{Spec }A\) be a resolution of singularities with exceptional divisor \(E\). Suppose \(Z\neq 0\) is an anti-nef cycle of \(X\) such that the base locus of the linear system \(H^0(X, O_X(-Z))\) does not contain any component of \(E\). Then the authors show that \(h^1(X, O_X(-Z))\leq p_g(A)=h^1(X, O_X)\). \(Z\) is called a \(p_g\)-cycle if we have equality (and in this case \(O_X(-Z)\) is generated by global sections), and an integrally closed \(m\)-primary ideal \(I\) is called a \(p_g\)-ideal if \(I\) is represented by a \(p_g\)-cycle on some resolution (i.e., \(I=H^0(X, O_X(-Z))\)). If \(A\) is a rational singularity then every anti-nef cycle is a \(p_g\)-cycle and hence every integrally closed ideal is a \(p_g\)-ideal. The authors show that, in general, the class of \(p_g\)-ideal inherits nice properties of integrally closed ideals of rational singularities: for example \(I^2=IQ\) for every minimal reduction \(Q\) of \(I\), and if \(I\), \(J\) are \(p_g\)-ideals then so is their product \(IJ\). The main result of the paper is that, for \((A,m)\) a two-dimensional normal local ring, there exists a resolution on which \(p_g\)-cycles exist (and thus \(p_g\)-ideals exist). Moreover, they used this to show that if \(A\) is non-regular Gorenstein, then it has good ideals, i.e., \(I^2=IQ\) and \(Q:I=I\). The paper also investigates many other applications of \(p_g\)-ideals, for example the number of minimal generators of certain integrally closed ideals, and (non)existence results on Ulrich ideals for certain elliptic singularity.