F-rational rings and the integral closures of ideals (Q5954584)

The authors prove that whenever \(R\) is a Noetherian local F-rational ring of positive prime characteristic or an algebra of finite type over a field of characteristic \(0\) and having only rational singularities, then for any ideal \(I\) of analytic spread \(l\), for all non-negative integers \(n\), the integral closure \(\overline {I^{n+l}}\) of \(I^{n+l}\) is contained in \(I^{n+1}\). Results of this form are known as the Briançon-Skoda-type theorems, and have appeared in many versions. The most closely related versions to this paper are published by \textit{J. Lipman} and \textit{A. Sathaye} [ibid. 28, 199-222 (1981; Zbl 0438.13019)], \textit{J. Lipman} and \textit{B. Teissier}, ibid. 28, 97-112 (1981; Zbl 0464.13005)] and \textit{E. Hyry} and \textit{U. O. Villamayor} [J. Algebra 204, 656-665 (1998; Zbl 0928.13006)]. The authors use tight closure in the proof: One would then expect the conclusion \(\overline {I^{n+l}} \subseteq (I^{n+l})^*\), with \(^*\) denoting tight closure, but the very clever proposition 3.2 transforms the problem from \(I\) to a specially related parameter ideal, whence the F-rationality assumption and the Krull intersection theorem prove the stronger version. The last section gives even better exponents under further assumptions on \(R\) and \(R/I\).