Elimination and nonlinear equations of Rees algebras (Q615824)

First we describe the setting for this paper. Let \(I\) be an ideal of the polynomial ring \(R=k[X_1,\dots,X_n]\) over a field \(k\). Assume: \(\bullet\) \(I\) is generated by \(n+1\) \(k\)-linearly independent forms \( \mathbf f=(f_0,\dots,f_n)\) of the same degree \(>0\); \(\bullet\) \(\dim (R/I)\leq 1\) (that is, the base locus of the rational map defined by \(\mathbf f\) consists of finitely many points); \(\bullet\) \(\dim k[\mathbf f]=n\) (that is, the image of the rational map defined by \(\mathbf f\) is a hypersurface). Recall that the kernel of the canonical epimorphism \(\text{Sym}_R(I))\to \text{Rees}_R(I)\) is equal to the \(R\)-torsion of the symmetric algebra \(\text{Sym}_R(I)\); hence it contains \(H_{\mathfrak m}(\text{Sym}_R(I))\) (the \(\mathfrak m\)-torsion of the algebra \(\text{Sym}_R(I))\). Thus we have an induced epimorphism \[ S_I^*\twoheadrightarrow \text{Rees}_R(I), \] where \(S_I^*=\text{Sym}_R(I)/H_{\mathfrak m}(\text{Sym}_R(I))\). In some particular cases, for example if \(I\) is \(\mathfrak m\)-primary, this epimorphism is an isomorphism. On the other hand, if \(S\) is the polynomial ring \(R[T_0,\dots, T_n]\), then there is an \(R\)-algebra graded homomorphism \(S\to S_I^*\) sending each \(T_i\) to \(f_i\). Let \(\mathcal J\) be the kernel of this homomorphism. For an integer \(\ell\geq0\), let \(\mathcal J(\ell)\) be the ideal generated by the elements in \(\mathcal J\) of total degree in the \(T_i\)'s at most \(\ell\). The basic numerical invariant of the paper is \textit{the treshold degree} of the ideal \(I\) denoted by \(\mu_0(I)\), which is defined using, among other things, the first homology module of the Koszul complex associated to \(\mathbf f\). A \textit{treshold integer} is an integer \(\mu\) such that \(\mu\geq\mu_0(I)\), where \(\mu_0(I)\). The main theorem of this paper (using the above setting) is the following: If \(\nu(I_{\mathfrak p})\leq \dim R_{\mathfrak p}+1 \) for every prime ideal containing \(I\), then for every treshold integer \(\mu\), we have \(H_{\mathfrak m}^i(\text{Sym}_r(I))_\mu=0\) for \(i>0\); and for every \(\ell\geq2\) the \(k[T_0,\dots,T_n]\)-module \((\mathcal J(\ell)/\mathcal J(\ell -1))_\mu \) if free. Moreover, the authors determine the rank of this free module. In particular, the authors deal with the case when the ideal \(I\) is \(\mathfrak m\)-primary. They use \textit{downgrading maps}; as mentioned in the paper, by this method, the equations of the Rees algebra of \(I\) used in the matrix-based representation of the corresponding hypersurface can be recovered from the syzygies of \(I\). The authors present some applications to the hypersurface implicitization problem, and include a detailed explicit example.