Essential sequences over an ideal and essential cograde (Q790181)

If \(I\subseteq P\) are ideals in a Noetherian ring R such that P is prime, then P is an ''essential prime divisor'' of I in case there exists a prime divisor z of zero in the \(PR_ P\)-adic completion \((R_ P)^*\) of \(R_ P\) such that \(I(R_ P)^*+z\) is \(P(R_ P)^*\)-primary. E(I) denotes the set of essential prime divisors of I. Elements \(b_ 1,...,b_ s\) in I are an ''essential sequence'' in I in case \(b_ i\not\in \cup E((b_ 1,...,b_{i-1})R)\) for \(i=1,...,s\), and the ''essential grade'' of I, denote egd(I), is the length of an essential sequence that is maximal with respect to coming from I. These concepts were introduced and studied in a recent paper [''Essential sequence'', J. Algebra (to appear)] by the author and \textit{S. McAdam}; therein it was shown that they are excellent analogues to asymptotic prime divisors, asymptotic sequences, and asymptotic grade, in the asymptotic theory, and associated primes, R-sequences, and classical grade, in the standard theory of ideals in Noetherian rings. In the present paper the concept of an essential sequence over I and of the essential cograde of I are introduced and studied. Specifically, elements \(b_ 1,...,b_ s\) in R are an ''essential sequence'' over \(I\) in case \((I,b_ 1,...,b_ s)R\neq R\) and \(b_ i\not\in \cup E((I,b_ 1,...,b_{i-1})R)\) for \(i=1,...,s\), and the ''essential cograde'' of \(I\) is the maximum length of an essential sequence over \(I\). It is shown that essential sequences over I behave nicely when passing to localizations, factor rings modulo prime divisors of zero, finite integral extension rings, and faithfully flat Noetherian extension rings. It is also shown that any two maximal essential sequences over \(I\) have the same length when \(R\) is local (so the essential cograde of \(I\) is well defined) and that the essential cograde of \(I\) also behaves nicely when passing to the same type of related rings. Finally, two upper bounds and two lower bounds on this cograde are proved, and then essential cograde is used to characterize two classes of local rings.