Integrally closed and componentwise linear ideals (Q974670)

O.~Zariski showed, see Appendix~5 in~[\textit{P.~Samuel} and \textit{O.~Zariski}, Commutative algebra. Vol. II. Graduate Texts in Mathematics. 29. Springer-Verlag, New York (1976; Zbl 0322.13001)], that in any two-dimensional regular local ring \((A,\mathfrak{m})\): 1) the product of two integrally closed ideals is integrally closed; 2) there is a unique factorization property for integrally closed ideals into product of \textit{simple} \(\mathfrak{m}\)-primary integrally closed ideals and pairwise relatively prime irreducible elements of \(A\). (An ideal is called simple if it is not equal to product of two proper ideals.) Properties 1) and 2) do not generalize to rings of higher dimension. The main goal of the paper under review is to identify certain classes of homogeneous integrally closed ideals in a polynomial ring \(R:=K[x_1,\ldots,x_n]\) over a field \(K\), for which statements similar to 1) and 2) hold. Writing \(o(I)\) for the least degree of non-zero elements in a homogeneous ideal \(I\subset R\) and setting \(\mathfrak{m}:=(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\), the authors first consider the class \(\mathcal{C}\) of homogeneous ideals \(I\) of finite colength of \(R\) satisfying \(I+(\ell_1)=\mathfrak{m}^{o(I)}+(\ell_1)\) and \(I\mathfrak{m}:\ell_2=I\), for non-zero \textit{linear} forms \(\ell_1\) and \(\ell_2\). One of the main results of this paper is that \(\mathcal{C}\) is closed under product and integral closure, and a factorization property \textit{similar} to Zariski's result holds for ideals in \(\mathcal{C}\). However, as it turns out, for \(n\geq3\) the product of two integrally closed ideals in \(\mathcal{C}\) may fail to be integrally closed. The authors then consider the Goto-class \(\mathcal{G}\) of ideals in \(\mathcal{C}\). Write \(I_{<j>}\) for the ideal of \(R\) generated by the homogeneous component of degree \(j\) of a homogeneous ideal \(I\subset R\), and if \(I\in\mathcal{C}\) and \(j\in\mathbb{N}\), write \(Q_j(I)\) for the saturation of \(I_{<j+o(I)>}\). The Goto-class \(\mathcal{G}\) is defined as the set of ideals \(I\in\mathcal{C}\) such that: i) each minimal prime ideal of \(Q_0(I)\) is generated by \(n-1\) linearly independent linear forms in \(R\); ii) \(\forall j\in\mathbb{N}\), the primary components of \(Q_j(I)\) are powers of the minimal prime ideals of \(Q_0(I)\). (Integrally closed complete intersection ideals characterized by \textit{S.~Goto} in~[J. Algebra 108, 151--160 (1987; Zbl 0629.13004)] are in \(\mathcal{G}\).) Another main result of this paper is that \(\mathcal{G}\) is closed under product and integral closure and is compatible with factorization of \(\mathcal{C}\). That is, the factors appearing in a factorization of an ideal in \(\mathcal{G}\) also belong to \(\mathcal{G}\). Moreover, the product of two integrally closed ideals in \(\mathcal{G}\) is integrally closed and every integrally closed ideal in \(\mathcal{G}\) has a \textit{unique} factorization into product of \textit{simple} integrally closed ideals in \(\mathcal{G}\). The authors then consider the question of Cohen-Macaulayness of the associated graded ring \(\mathrm{gr}_I(R)\) of an integrally closed ideal \(I\in\mathcal{G}\). They conclude the paper by showing that if \(\dim R\leq3\), or if \(I\) is monomial, then \(\mathrm{gr}_I(R)\) is Cohen-Macaulay. For regular local rings of dimension two, it is due to \textit{J.~Lipman} and \textit{B.~Teissier} [Mich. Math. J. 28, 97--116 (1981; Zbl 0464.13005)] and \textit{C.~Huneke} [Commutative algebra, Proc. Microprogram, Berkeley/CA 1989, Publ., Math. Sci. Res. Inst. 15, 325--338 (1989; Zbl 0732.13007)] that integrally closed ideals have a Cohen-Macaulay associated graded ring.