Two remarks on independent sets (Q686973)

Let \(S = k[x_ v,\;v \in V]\) be a polynomial ring over a field \(k\), equipped with a noetherian term order \(<\), \(I \subset S\) an ideal, and in\((I)\) the initial ideal of \(I\), i.e., the ideal generated by the leading term lt\((f)\) of all \(f \in I\). \(\sigma \subseteq V\) is an independent set modulo \(I\) iff \(k[x_ v : v \in \sigma] \cap I = (0)\). In general it is difficult to find (maximal) independent sets. In J. Symb. Comput. 6, No. 2/3, 231-247 (1988; Zbl 0665.68024), \textit{H. Kredel} and \textit{V. Weispfenning} therefore investigated the connections between independent sets of \(I\) and independent sets of in\((I)\), strongly independent sets in their notion. In the first part of this paper we generalize this notion to submodules of free modules and explain their computational relevance. We discuss also two algorithms to compute strongly independent sets that rest on the primary decomposition of squarefree monomial ideals. Usually the initial ideal \(in(I)\) of a polynomial ideal \(I\) is worse than \(I\). -- \textit{M. Kalkbrener} and \textit{B. Sturmfels} [``Initial complexes of prime ideals'' (to appear)] observed that nevertheless in\((I)\) is not as bad as one should expect, showing that \(in(I)\) is connected in codimension one if \(I\) is prime. -- In the second part of the paper we add more evidence to that observation. We show that in\((I)\) inherits (radically) unmixedness, connectedness in codimension one and connectedness outside a finite set of points from \(I\) and prove the same results also for initial submodules of free modules. The proofs use a deformation from \(I\) to in\((I)\).