Reductions towards a characteristic free proof of the Canonical Element Theorem (Q6169063)

Homological conjectures, proposed by M. Hochster, form the centerpiece of commutative algebra. One of the most stunning conjectures, now a theorem, is the Canonical Element Theorem, which is in turn equivalent to Direct Summand Theorem, Monomial Theorem, and Improved New Intersection Theorem, and follows from the existence of a big Cohen-Macaulay module that has been recently established in all cases. Let \((R,\mathfrak{m},k)\) be a commutative noetherian local ring of Krull dimension \(n\). Let \(F\) be a free resolution of \(k\), and \(\pi:F_{n}\rightarrow\mathrm{syz}_{n}^{R}(k)\) the natural epimorphism. Then the Canonical Element Theorem asserts that if \(\eta_{R}\) is the image of \([\pi]\) under the homomorphism \[ \mathrm{Ext}^{n}_{R}\left(k,\mathrm{syz}_{n}^{R}(k)\right) \rightarrow \varinjlim_{i\geq 1}\mathrm{Ext}^{n}_{R}\left(R/ \mathfrak{m}^{i},\mathrm{syz}_{n}^{R}(k)\right) \xrightarrow{\cong} H^{n}_{\mathfrak{m}}\left(\mathrm{syz}_{n}^{R}(k)\right), \] then \(\eta_{R}\neq 0\). The current proof of the theorem is contingent upon the characteristic of the ring, and in mixed characteristic requires techniques of perfectoid geometry to be settled. However, it is reasonable to have a proof that unifies the currently different proofs in each characteristic type. In pursuit of this goal, the author reduces the proof of the Canonical Element Theorem to a localization problem in a characteristic-free way. He proves the validity of a new variant of the Canonical Element Theorem, and clarifies how a characteristic-free deduction of this new variant from the original theorem would provide a characteristic-free proof of the the theorem. He also shows that the existence of a balanced big Cohen-Macaulay module can be established by a characteristic-free proof if the big Cohen-Macaulayness of Hochster's modification module can be deduced from the existence of a maximal Cohen-Macaulay complex in a characteristic-free manner.