On some conjectures about the Chern numbers of filtrations (Q630846)

For an ideal \(I\) of a ring \(R\), the integral closure of \(I\), denoted \(\bar{I}\), is the ideal of \(R\) consisting of all elements of \(R\) which are integral over \(I\). Applying this construction to the powers \(I^n\) of an \(\mathfrak{m}\)-primary ideal \(I\) in a Noetherian local ring \((R,\mathfrak{m})\), we get the filtration \(\bar{I^n}\) on \(R\). If \(R\) is analytically unramified then this filtration is \(I\)-admissible by \textit{D. Rees} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 36, 24--28 (1961; Zbl 0115.26202)]. The Hilbert coefficients \(e_i(\bar{P}_I )\) are called the normal Hilbert coefficients of \(I\) and are also denoted by \(\bar{e_i}(I)\). In particular, \(\bar{e_1}(I)\) is the normal Chern number of \(I\). The Positivity Conjecture of Vasconcelos says that if \(I\) is an \(\mathfrak{m}\)-primary ideal of an analytically unramified Noetherian local ring \((R,\mathfrak{m})\) of positive dimension then \(\bar{e_1}(I)\geq 0\). In the paper under review the authors proved this conjecture for a 2-dimensional complete local domain and more generally for any analytically unramified local ring \(R\) whose integral closure in its total ring of fractions is Cohen-Macaulay as an \(R\)-module. The Negativity Conjecture of Vasconcelos says that if \(J\) is a parameter ideal of an unmixed Noetherian local ring \(R\) of positive dimension then \(\bar{e_1}( J) < 0\) if and only if \(R\) is not Cohen-Macaulay. In this paper the authors discuss the corresponding question for a finite module \(M\) (of positive dimension) over a Noetherian local ring \((R,\mathfrak{m})\) with respect to an ideal \(I\) such that \(\lambda(M/IM)<\infty\).