Vanishing of relative homology and depth of tensor products (Q515616)

Let \(R\) be a commutative Noetherian local ring and let \(M\) and \(N\) be finitely generated \(R\)-modules. Then it was shown in [\textit{C. Huneke} and \textit{R. Wiegand}, Math. Ann. 299, No. 3, 449--476 (1994; Zbl 0803.13008)] that, if \(R\) is a complete intersection and \(M\) and \(N\) are Tor-independent modules (i.e., \(\text{Tor}^R_i(M,N)=0\) for all \(i\geq 1\)), then the depth formula \[ \text{depth}_RM+\text{depth}_R N=\text{depth}_R R + \text{depth}_R(M\otimes_R N) \] holds. In 2015 \textit{L. W. Christensen} and \textit{D. A. Jorgensen} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 3, 464--481 (2015; Zbl 1311.13016)] proved that if \(R\) is a Gorenstein ring and if \(M\) and \(N\) are Tor-independent modules such that Tate homology \(\widehat{\text{Tor}}^R_i(M,N)\) vanishes for all \(i\), then the depth formula also holds. In this paper, the authors establish the same conclusion under a weaker hypothesis. More precisely, it is proven that if \(M\) and \(N\) are \(\mathcal{G}\)-relative Tor-independent such that \(\widehat{\text{Tor}}^R_i(M,N)\) vanishes for all \(i\), then the depth formula holds.