The ideal theory of intersections of prime divisors dominating a normal Noetherian local domain of dimension two (Q2039351)

Let \(R\) be a normal Noetherian local domain of Krull dimension two and let \(F\) denote its quotient field. In the present paper, the authors examine intersections of rank one discrete valuation rings that birationally dominate \(R\). More specifically, recall that a valuation overring \(V\) of \(R\) whose maximal ideal contains the maximal ideal of \(R\) and whose residue field has transcendence degree 1 over the residue field of \(R\) is called a prime divisor that dominates \(R\). In other words, the prime divisors that dominate \(R\) are precisely the overrings of \(R\) that arise as the localization of the integral closure of a finitely generated \(R\)-subalgebra of \(F\) at a height one prime ideal that contains the maximal ideal of \(R\). This article is devoted to the study of the intersection of prime divisors that dominate \(R\). It is known that the intersection of finitely many such rings is a PID, while the intersection of all prime divisors that dominate \(R\) is simply the domain \(R\) itself and so, in general, is quite far from being a PID. In particular, the authors focus on the intersection of prime divisors that dominate \(R\) and are ``within some fixed number of steps away from'' \(R\), where the steps here involve the number of normalized local quadratic transforms needed to reach the prime divisor. One of the main results shows that if a collection of such prime divisors is taken below a certain ``level'', then the intersection is an almost Dedekind domain (i.e., an integral domain such that each localization at a maximal ideal is a DVR) having the property that every nonzero ideal can be represented uniquely as an irredundant intersection of powers of maximal ideals. Note that, in general, for arbitrary almost Dedekind domains, every ideal is an intersection of primary ideals but, because this intersection is typically infinite, may not be able to be refined to an irredundant intersection and so such a decomposition turns out to be unhandy to be useful.