Reduction numbers and initial ideals (Q4787485)

The reduction number \(r(A)\) of a standard graded algebra \(A\) over a field \(k\) is the least integer \(r\) such that \(A\) is generated by elements of degree \(\leq r\) as a module over a Noether normalization. Write \(A = R/I\), where \(R\) is a polynomial ring and \(I \subset R\) is a homogeneous ideal. \textit{W. V. Vasconcelos} [in: Six lectures on commutative algebra, Bellaterra 1996, Proc. Math. 166, 345-392 (1998; Zbl 0931.13016)] conjectured that \(r(R/I) \leq r(R/\text{in}(I))\), where \(\text{in}(I)\) denotes the initial ideal of \(I\) with respect to a given term order. The paper under review gives a positive answer to the conjecture. To do this the author investigates initials ideals in the exterior algebra. As a consequence, he shows that if \(k\) has characteristic zero then \(r(R/I) \leq r(R/I^{\text{Lex}})\), where \(I^{\text{Lex}}\) denotes the unique lex-segment ideal with the same Hilbert function as \(I\). He also raises the question whether this inequality holds for arbitrary characteristic. Reviewer's remark: Vasconcelos' conjecture was also settled independently with a different method by the reviewer [\textit{Ngô Viêt Trung}, ``Constructive characterization of the reduction numbers'' (to appear)] and there is a positive answer to the last question given by \textit{Lê Tuân Hoa} and \textit{Ngô Viêt Trung} [``Borel fixed ideals and reduction number'' (to appear)].