Bounding multiplicity by shifts in the Taylor resolution (Q847968)

The focus of this paper is a weaker form of the multiplicity conjecture of Herzog, Huneke, and Srinivasan. The original conjecture states that if \(I\) is a homogeneous ideal of codimension \(c\) in a ring \(R\), then the multiplicity \(e(R/I)\leq\left(\prod_{i=1}^c M_i\right)/c!\) and if \(R/I\) is Cohen-Macaulay, then \(e(R/I)\geq\left(\prod_{i=1}^c m_i\right)/c!\) where \(M_i=\max\{j\mid\beta_{i,j}\neq 0\}\) and \(m_i=\min\{j\mid\beta_{i,j}\neq 0\}\). The generalized conjecture allows for \(M_i\) and \(m_i\) to be the maximal and minimal shifts, respectively, of an arbitrary free resolution, or of the Taylor resolution, rather than restricting to the Betti numbers of a minimal resolution. The author presents some background material on simplicial complexes and Stanley-Reisner ideals and then shows that the tensor product of two rings, each of which satisfies the conjecture for a particular resolution, will satisfy the conjecture for the tensor product of the chosen resolutions. In particular, the author shows that if \(R/I\) and \(R'/I'\) satisfy the multiplicity conjecture, then \(R/I\otimes R'/I'\) does also. In addition, if \(I\) and \(I'\) are monomial ideals and \(R/I\) and \(R'/I'\) satisfy the conjecture using the Taylor series, then \(R/I\otimes R'/I'\) does also. In the case where \(R/I\) and \(R'/I'\) are Cohen-Macaulay, the author gives characterizations of when equality occurs in the lower and upper bounds of the conjecture. A key technique is to show that for any two sequences of positive integers, the ``lower join'' and ``upper join'' operations behave in a precisely controlled manner. Additional information is given for the special case where the tensor product has a pure resolution. Using polarization allows the author to shift the focus to square-free monomial ideals, which can be represented by simplicial complexes. For a simplicial complex \(\Gamma\) the author expresses the multiplicity upper bound conjecture in terms of subcomplexes of \(\Gamma\). The author gives conditions on the subcomplexes that imply the upper bound conjecture holds for the union of the subcomplexes for a stated resolution. A condition for equality in the conjecture is also given. The author then passes to subcomplexes formed by deleting each vertex in turn and gives conditions under which the upper bound conjecture holding on each of these complexes will imply the upper bound conjecture (for the appropriate resolution) for the original simplicial complex. If a simplicial complex has sufficiently many vertices, the author shows that the complex will satisfy both bounds of the conjecture for the Taylor series, but will not achieve equality. Finally, the author shows that all quadratic monomial ideals satisfy the upper bound conjecture for the Taylor resolution and Cohen-Macaulay quadratic monomial ideals also satisfy the lower bound conjecture for the Taylor resolution. The proof of this uses polarization to pass to the case of the ideal of a flag complex. The author shows that a flag complex satisfies the upper bound conjecture for the Taylor resolution and characterizes Cohen-Macaulay flag simplicial complexes that attain the lower bound for the Taylor resolution. A characterization of flag complexes that attain the upper bound for the Taylor resolution is also given. The author concludes by extending the results to show that if \(I\) is almost quadratic, meaning at most one generator of \(I\) is not quadratic, then \(R/I\) satisfies the upper bound conjecture using the Taylor resolution.