On the nonnegativity of normal Hilbert coefficients of two ideals (Q357882)

Let \((R, \mathfrak{m})\) be an analytically unramified local ring of dimension \(d \geq 1\). Let \(I\) be an \(\mathfrak{m}\)-primary ideal and \(\bar{I}\) the integral closure of \(I\). Then there exist integers \(\bar{e}_i(I)\) such that the length \[ \lambda (R/\bar{I}^{n+1}) = \displaystyle \sum_{ i=0} ^d (-1)^i \bar{e}_i(I) {n+d-i\choose d- i} \] [\textit{D. Rees}, Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 57, 1--7 (1961; Zbl 0115.26202); J. Lond. Math. Soc. 36, 24--28 (1961; Zbl 0115.26202)]. When \(R\) is Cohen-Macaulay, \textit{T. Marley} [Hilbert functions of ideals in Cohen-Macaulay rings, Ph. D. Thesis, Purdue University (1989)] proved that \(\bar{e}_1(I) \geq 0\) and \(\bar{e}_2(I) \geq 0\), and \textit{S. Itoh} proved that \(\bar{e}_3(I) \geq 0\) [J. Algebra 150, No.1, 101--117 (1992; Zbl 0756.13008)]. When \(R\) is an unmixed local ring, \textit{S. Goto, J. Hong} and \textit{M. Mandal} showed that \(\bar e_1(I)>0\) [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 139, No. 7, 2399-2406 (2011; Zbl 1230.13020)] . In [Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 53, 568--575 (1957; Zbl 0080.02903)], \textit{P. B. Bhattacharya} studied pairs of \(\mathfrak{m}\)-primary ideals \(I\) and \(J\) in a Noetherian local ring of dimension \(d \geq 1\) and proved that for large values of \(r\) and \(s\), there exist integers \(e_{i,j}(I,J)\) such that \[ \lambda (R/{I}^{r}J^{s}) =\displaystyle \sum_{ i+j \leq d} (-1)^{d-(i+j)}{e}_{(i,j)}(I,J) {r+i-1\choose i}{s+j-1\choose j}. \] In that case, \textit{C. D'Gruz} and \textit{A. Guerrieri} [Lecture Notes in Pure and Applied Mathematics 244, 59--68 (2006; Zbl 1110.13015)] proved the nonnegativity of \({e}_{(i,j)}(I,J)\) for \(i+j \geq d-2\) when the ring is a Cohen-Macaulay local ring. Further, \textit{D. Rees} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 24, 467-479 (1981; Zbl 0492.13012)] showed that, in an analytically unramified local ring, the Hilbert function \(\bar{H}_{I,J} (r,s) := \lambda (R/ \bar{I^r} \bar{J^s})\) is a polynomial \(\bar {P}_{(I,J)}(x,y) \in Q[x,y]\) of total degree \(d\) written as \[ \bar {P}_{(I,J)}(x,y)= \displaystyle \sum_{ i+j \leq d} (-1)^{d-(i+j)}{\bar{e}}_{(i,j)}(I,J) {x+i-1\choose i}{y+j-1\choose j} \] for \(r, s\gg 0\). In the paper under review, the authors prove that \(\bar{e}_{(i,j)}(I,J) = {e}_{(i,j)}(I,J)\) for \(i+j = d\) in an analytically unramified local ring of dimension \(d \geq 1\), which implies the non-negativity of \(\bar{e}_{(i,j)}(I,J)\) for \(i+j = d\) [\textit{C. Huneke} and \textit{I. Swanson}, Integral closure of ideals, rings, and modules. London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series 336. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2006; Zbl 1117.13001)]. Furthermore, they prove that \(\bar{e}_{(i,j)}(I,J) \geq 0\) for \(i+j \geq d-3\) in a Cohen-Macaulay local ring. In the last section, they show that \(\bar{e}_{(i,j)}(I,J) \geq 0\) for \(i+j = d-1\) in an unmixed local ring.