Integral closure of an affine algebra (Q7008608)

Let \(R\) be a commutative ring with identity, and let \(R'\) denote its integral closure. An element \(r\) of \(R\) is said to be \textit{regular} if it is not a zero-divisor. An ideal of \(R\) is called \textit{regular} if it contains at least one regular element. The ring \(R\) is said to be \textit{r-Noetherian} if every regular ideal is finitely generated. It is clear that every r-Noetherian integral domain is Noetherian. A ring \(R\) is called an \textit{affine ring} if it is a finitely generated algebra over a field \(K\); that is, \(R = K[a_1, \dots, a_n]\) for some elements \(a_1, \dots, a_n \in R\). It is worth noting that the integral closure of an affine ring is always r-Noetherian. For a regular prime ideal \(P\) of \(R\), the \textit{regular height} of \(P\), denoted \(\operatorname{reg-ht} P\), is defined as the supremum of the lengths of all chains of regular prime ideals contained in \(P\). The \textit{regular dimension} of \(R\) is then defined by \N\[\N\operatorname{reg-dim} R = \sup \{ \operatorname{reg-ht} P \mid P \text{ is a regular prime ideal of } R \}.\N\]\NIn [J. Math. Kyoto Univ. 15, 397--400 (1975; Zbl 0308.13018)], \textit{J. Nishimura} proved that a Krull domain \(D\) is necessarily Noetherian if \(D/P\) is a Noetherian domain for all height-one prime ideals \(P\) of \(D\). This result was later generalized by \textit{J. Huckaba} in [Commutative rings with zero divisors. New York etc.: Marcel Dekker, Inc. (1988; Zbl 0637.13001)] to additively regular Krull rings.\N\NThe authors of the paper under review extend both Nishimura's result and Huckaba's generalization by showing that if \(R\) is a Krull ring such that \(R/P\) is Noetherian for each minimal regular prime ideal \(P\) of \(R\), then \(R\) is r-Noetherian. They further provide an example demonstrating that the Krullness assumption on \(R\) is essential for the conclusion to hold. Additionally, they establish that if \(R\) is an affine algebra, then \(R'\) is an r-Noetherian ring, and that the Krull dimension of \(R\) coincides with its regular dimension; i.e., \(\dim R = \operatorname{reg-dim} R\). As an interesting application of this result, let \(R := K[X_1, \dots, X_n]/(f)\), where \(K\) is a field, \(X_1, \dots, X_n\) are indeterminates over \(K\), and \(f\) is a non-constant polynomial in \(K[X_1, \dots, X_n]\). Then the following hold:\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[1.] \(\dim R = \operatorname{reg-dim} R = n - 1\);\N\item[2.] \(R'\) is an r-Noetherian ring;\N\item[3.] \(R'\) is Noetherian if and only if the polynomial \(f\) is squarefree;\N\item[4.] Every overring of \(R\) is r-Noetherian if and only if \(n = 2\);\N\item[5.] When \(n = 2\), the following statements are equivalent:\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[(a)] \(R'\) is a Noetherian ring;\N\item[(b)] Every overring of \(R\) is a Noetherian ring;\N\item[(c)] \(f\) is squarefree.\N\end{itemize}\N\end{itemize}\NIn their final main result, the authors establish that if \(R\) is an r-Noetherian ring with regular dimension at most two, then \(R'\) is also an r-Noetherian ring. The paper concludes with a section devoted to the construction of special kinds of r-Noetherian rings \(R\) for which \(\operatorname{reg-dim} R\) and \(\dim R\) satisfy certain conditions.