Multidegrees, prime ideals, and non-standard gradings (Q6187717)

Let \(S = \mathrm{k}[x_{i,j} \mid 1 \le i \le p, 0\le j \le m_i]\) be a standard \(\mathbb{N}^p\)-graded polynomial ring over a field \(\mathrm{k}\), i.e., \(\deg (x_{i,j}) = e_i \in {\mathbb N}^p\), where \(e_i\) is the \(i\)th standard basis vector. Multigraded prime ideals naturally arise in the context of toric varieties, Schubert calculus, and algebraic statistics. In the paper under review, the authors laid out fundamental results about the multidegrees of multigraded prime ideals. The first main result of the paper says that the radical of the multigraded generic initial ideals of multigraded prime ideals is Cohen-Macaulay. Let \(X \subset {\mathbb P}^{\mathbf m}:= {\mathbb P}^{m_1} \times_{\mathrm k} \cdots \times_{\mathrm k} {\mathbb P}^{m_p}\) be the integrally closed subscheme corresponding to a multihomogeneous prime ideal \(P\). Let \(J \subseteq \{1,\ldots,p\}\) and \(\pi_J: {\mathbb P}^{\mathbf m} \to {\mathbb P}^{{\mathbf m}_J}\) be the natural projection onto the product of projective spaces corresponding to \(J\). For each \({\mathbf n} = (n_1,\ldots,n_p) \in {\mathbb N}^p\) with \(|{\mathbf n}| = n_1 + \cdots +n_p = \operatorname{dim} (X)\), they define \(\operatorname{deg}_P^{\mathbf n}(X)\) the multidegree of \(X\) of type \({\mathbf n}\) with respect to \(P\), which is the number of points in the intersection of \(X\) with respect to the product \(L_1 \times \cdots \times L_p \subset {\mathbb P}\) where \(L_i\) is a general linear subspace of dimension \(m_i - n_i\). The next main result of the paper says that the maximum of the multidegrees of \(X\) cannot increase under natural projections. The proof of the first main result utilizes the result of [\textit{F. Castillo} et al., Adv. Math. 374, Article ID 107382, 34 p. (2020; Zbl 1453.14019)] saying that the support of the multidegrees of a multihomogeneous prime ideal is a discrete polymatroid. When \(\deg_P^{\mathbf n}(X) \in \{0,1\}\) for all \({\mathbf n} \in {\mathbb N}^p\) with \(|{\mathbf n}| = \dim X\), \(X\) is called multiplicity-free. Then they give an alternative proof of the result of \textit{M. Brion} [Contemp. Math. 331, 13--23 (2003; Zbl 1052.14055)] saying that for a multi-free variety \(X\), we have \(X\) is arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay and arithmetically normal. In the case of non-standard multi-gradings, namely, \(R = {\mathrm k} [x_1,\ldots, x_n]\) with \(\deg (x_i) \in {\mathbb N}^p\), the authors associate with each homogeneous ideal \(I\) an ideal \(J\) in a standard \({\mathbb N}^p\)-graded polynomial ring via the step-by-step homogenization technique introduced by \textit{J. McCullough} and \textit{I. Peeva} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 31, No. 2, 473--496 (2018; Zbl 1390.13043)] and standardization technique introduced in [\textit{F. Castillo} et al., Forum Math. Sigma 11, Paper No. e100, 9 p. (2023; Zbl 1529.14034)]. The standardization preserves many algebraic properties of \(I\). They then extend the upper semicontinuity result of \textit{R. Hartshorne} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 29, 5--48 (1966; Zbl 0171.41502)] for the arithmetic multidegree polynomial.