Symbolic powers of perfect ideals of codimension 2 and birational maps (Q403801)

Let \(R=k[X_1,\ldots,X_n]\), where \(k\) is an infinite field. In this work, the authors study about symbolic powers \(I^{(n)}\) of a codimension \(2\) ideal \(I\) in \(R\), assuming that the entries of the corresponding presentation matrix \(\mathcal{L}\) of size \(m\times (m-1)\) are general linear forms. Then \(I\) is of linear type if and only if \(m \leq n\). If char\((k)=0\), then \(I\) is normally torsion free if and only if \(m < n\) (Proposition 2.3). Let \(\mathcal{R}^{(I)}\) denote the symbolic Rees algebra of \(I\). If \(n \geq 3, m=n\), then \(\mathcal{R}^{(I)}\) is a Gorenstein normal domain. Furthermore, if char\((k)=0\), then \(\mathcal{R}^{(I)}\) is generated by the \((n-1)\)-minors of \(\mathcal{L}\), viewed in degree \(1\) and by the source inversion factor of the Cremona map defined by these minors, viewed in degree \(n-1\) (Theorem 2.14). The authors achieve these results by explicitly describing the symbolic Rees algebra \(\mathcal{R}^{(I)}\) and the underlying birational theory. As an application, if char\((k)=0\), then the authors prove a conjecture stated in [\textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{B. Mazur}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 488, 189--201 (1997; Zbl 0912.13010)] affirmatively. Finally, for \(n \geq 3\) and char\((k)=0\), in the case \(m=n+1\), the authors explicitly describe the symbolic Rees algebra \(\mathcal{R}^{(I)}\) (Theorem 2.23).