The join-meet ideal of a finite lattice (Q357874)

Given a finite lattice \(L\), the join-meet ideal \(I_L\) of \(L\) is the ideal generated by all binomials of the form \(ab-(a\vee b)(a\wedge b)\) in the polynomial ring \(K[L]\) whose variables are the elements of \(L\). Various results were known for distributive lattices, virtually nothing in the case when \(L\) is not distributive. This paper focuses on the join-meet ideals of modular, non-distributive lattices. It proves Hibi's conjecture [\textit{T. Hibi}, Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 11, 93--109 (1987; Zbl 0654.13015)] stating that, for any monomial order, the initial ideal \(\text{in}_<(I_L)\) is not squarefree, unless \(L\) is distributive.