Upper bounds for the arithmetical ranks of monomial ideals (Q447800)

Let \(S\) be a standard graded polynomial ring over a field \(k\). This paper concerns with the arithmetical ranks of ideals of \(S\) which are monomial. By definition, the arithmetical rank ara(\(I\)) of an ideal \(I\) is the minimal number of generators of the radical of \(I\). This is an important invariant which geometrically gives the number of equations needed to define a variety. In general, from Krull's principal ideal theorem, ara(\(I\)) \(\geq\) height \(I\) and the equality does not happen except for special cases. It is of interest to bound above the arithmetical rank. Sometimes a bound can be found via the lemma of T. Schmitt and W. Vogel: Lemma. Let \(R\) be a commutative ring with identity and \(Q\) a finite subset of elements of \(R\). Let \(Q_0,\dots,Q_r\) be subsets of \(Q\) such that (i) \(Q_0 \cup Q_1 \cup \dots \cup Q_r=Q\), (ii) \(Q_0\) has exactly one element; (iii) for each \(1\leq j \leq r\), if \(q,q''\) are distinct elements of \(Q_j\), then there is \(i<j\) and an element \(q'\in Q_i\) such that \(q\) divides \(qq''\). Set \(f_j= \sum_{q\in Q_j} q\). Then \(\sqrt{(Q)}=\sqrt{(f_0,\dots,f_r)}\). The author introduces several refinements of this lemma, and the relevant results of M. Barile. He gives many example showing that his results are more effective than the classical Schmitt-Vogel lemma; see, e.g., Example 3 in the paper.