Order ideals and a generalized Krull height theorem (Q707411)

Let \(N\) be a finitely generated module over a Noetherian local ring \((R,\mathbf m)\). The order ideal of an element \(x\in N\), written \(N^*(x)\), is the set of images of \(x\) under homomorphisms from \(N\) to \(R\). The classical Krull height theorem (1928) can be interpreted by saying that if \(N\) is free of rank \(r\), then the order ideal of any element \(x\in {\mathbf m}N\) has height at most \(r\). The Generalized Principal Ideal Theorem of \textit{W. Bruns} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 83, 19--26 (1981; Zbl 0478.13006)] and \textit{D. Eisenbud} and \textit{E. G. Evans} jun. [Nagoya Math. J. 62, 41--53 (1976; Zbl 0313.13018)] generalizes this to any module \(N\): If \(N\) has rank \(r\) and \(x\in {\mathbf m}N\), then \(\text{ht} N^*(x)\leq r\). The paper under review is concerned with the problem of giving criteria for the height of the order ideal \(N^*(x)\) of an element \(x\in N\) to be bounded by the rank of \(N\). In section 1 the authors recall the general notion of Rees algebra of a module introduced by them [\textit{D. Eisenbud, C. Huneke} and \textit{B. Ulrich}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 131, No.~3, 701--708 (2003; Zbl 1038.13002)] and provide some results about integral dependence of modules. In section 2, it is introduced and studied the construction of the perpendicular module of \(N\): If \(F\) is a free module of minimal rank \(n\) with a surjection \(\pi :F\rightarrow N\), then \(N^\perp :={\text{Coker}} (\pi^*)\). In section 3 the authors prove their generalized height theorem (theorem 3.1): Let \(R\) be a locally equidimensional universally catenary Noetherian ring, let \(N\) be a finitely generated \(R\)-module, and let \(x\in N\). Let \(R\rightarrow S\) be a homomorphism of rings from \(R\) to some Noetherian local domain \((S,\mathbf n)\) and write \(SN\) for \(S\otimes_RS\) modulo \(S\)-torsion. If the image of \(x\) in \(SN\) lies in \({\mathbf n}SN\), then \[ \text{ht} (N^*(x))\leq {\text{min}}_{Q}\{\text{rf}_Q(N)\} \] where the minimum is taken over all minimal primes \(Q\) of \(R\) mapping to zero in \(S\) and \(\text{rf}_Q(N)\) denotes the maximal rank of a free summand of \(N_Q\). A corollary of this theorem answers affirmatively a question of C. Huneke and J. Koh (1980); more precisely, the authors deduce (corollary 3.4): Let \((R,\mathbf m)\) be an equidimensional universally catenary Noetherian local ring and let \(N\) be a finitely generated \(R\)-module. If \(x\) lies in the integral closure of \({\mathbf m}N\) in \(N\), then \[ \text{ht} (N^*(x))\leq {\text{min}}\{\mu _Q(N)\}, \] where the minimum is taken over all minimal primes \(Q\) of \(R\) so that \(N_Q\) is free. Here \(\mu_Q(N)\) is defined as minimal number of generators of \(N_Q\) over \(R_Q\). The authors then give conditions for a module \(N\) over a local ring \(R\) for which the height of the order ideal of every element is bounded by \(r\). When \(R\) is an equidimensional universally catenary Noetherian local ring, a sufficient condition is given by the analytic spread of the perpendicular module \(N^\perp\) (proposition 3.6); it is given a partial converse of this last result (proposition 3.9). Proposition 3.9 gives a systematic way of constructing modules of rank \(r\) with elements whose order ideals have height greater than \(r\); other interesting examples are given. In section 4, the authors investigate order ideals of modules of low rank; it is shown under mild hypotheses that if \(N\) has rank \(\leq 2\), or \(N\) is a \(k\)-th syzygy module of rank \(k\), then all elements of \(N\) have order ideals of height \(\leq \text{rank}(N)\) (proposition 4.1); a similar result for modules of rank 3 is given under more stringent conditions. In section 5, it is studied the trace ideal of \(N\), tr\((N)\), defined as the sum of all order ideals of \(N\). Under certain hypotheses it is shown that if \(N\) has an element \(x\) with \(\text{ht} (N^*(x))> {\text{rank}} (N)\), then \(\sqrt {\text{tr}(N)}=\sqrt {N^*(x)}\) (proposition 5.4), where \(N^*\) denotes \(\text{Hom}_R(N,R)\). The paper concludes with a bound for the height of tr\((N)\) if the height of some order ideal exceeds rank\((N)\) (theorem 5.5).