We prove that the multiplicity of a filtration of a local ring satisfies various convexity properties. In particular, we show the multiplicity is convex along geodesics. As a consequence, we prove that the volume of a valuation is log convex on simplices of quasi-monomial valuations and give a new proof of a theorem of Xu and Zhuang on the uniqueness of normalized volume minimizers. In another direction, we generalize a theorem of Rees on multiplicities of ideals to filtrations and characterize when the Minkowski inequality for filtrations is an equality under mild assumptions.

We characterize the finite codimension sub-${\mathbf {k}}$-algebras of ${\mathbf {k}}[\![t]\!]$ as the solutions of a computable finite family of higher differential operators. For this end, we establish a duality between such a sub-algebras and the finite codimension ${\mathbf {k}}$-vector spaces of ${\mathbf {k}}[u]$, this ring acts on ${\mathbf {k}}[\![t]\!]$ by differentiation.

We prove that double Schubert polynomials have the saturated Newton polytope property. This settles a conjecture by Monical, Tokcan and Yong. Our ideas are motivated by the theory of multidegrees. We introduce a notion of standardization of ideals that enables us to study nonstandard multigradings. This allows us to show that the support of the multidegree polynomial of each Cohen–Macaulay prime ideal in a nonstandard multigrading, and in particular, that of each Schubert determinantal ideal is a discrete polymatroid.

The existence of Ulrich modules for (complete) local domains has been a difficult and elusive open question. For over thirty years, it was unknown whether complete local domains always have Ulrich modules. In this paper, we answer the question of existence for both Ulrich modules and weakly lim Ulrich sequences – a weaker notion recently introduced by Ma – in the negative. We construct many local domains in all dimensions $d \geq 2$ that do not have any Ulrich modules. Moreover, we show that when $d = 2$, these local domains do not have weakly lim Ulrich sequences.

We relate the analytic spread of a module expressed as the direct sum of two submodules with the analytic spread of its components. We also study a class of submodules whose integral closure can be expressed in terms of the integral closure of its row ideals, and therefore can be obtained by means of a simple computer algebra procedure. In particular, we analyze a class of modules, not necessarily of maximal rank, whose integral closure is determined by the family of Newton polyhedra of their row ideals.

Unfortunately, there is a mistake in [PS, Lemma 3.10] which invalidates [PS, Theorem 3.12]. We show that the theorem still holds if the ring is assumed to be Gorenstein.

The purpose of this paper is, as part of the stratification of Cohen–Macaulay rings, to investigate the question of when the fiber products are almost Gorenstein rings. We show that the fiber product $R \times _T S$ of Cohen–Macaulay local rings R, S of the same dimension $d>0$ over a regular local ring T with $\dim T=d-1$ is an almost Gorenstein ring if and only if so are R and S. In addition, the other generalizations of Gorenstein properties are also explored.

The symbolic analytic spread of an ideal $I$ is defined in terms of the rate of growth of the minimal number of generators of its symbolic powers. In this article, we find upper bounds for the symbolic analytic spread under certain conditions in terms of other invariants of $I$. Our methods also work for more general systems of ideals. As applications, we provide bounds for the (local) Kodaira dimension of divisors, the arithmetic rank, and the Frobenius complexity. We also show sufficient conditions for an ideal to be a set-theoretic complete intersection.

We prove results concerning the multiplicity as well as the Cohen–Macaulay and Gorenstein properties of the special fiber ring $\mathscr{F}(E)$ of a finitely generated $R$-module $E\subsetneq R^{e}$ over a Noetherian local ring $R$ with infinite residue field. Assuming that $R$ is Cohen–Macaulay of dimension 1 and that $E$ has finite colength in $R^{e}$, our main result establishes an asymptotic length formula for the multiplicity of $\mathscr{F}(E)$, which, in addition to being of independent interest, allows us to derive a Cohen–Macaulayness criterion and to detect a curious relation to the Buchsbaum–Rim multiplicity of $E$ in this setting. Further, we provide a Gorensteinness characterization for $\mathscr{F}(E)$ in the more general situation where $R$ is Cohen–Macaulay of arbitrary dimension and $E$ is not necessarily of finite colength, and we notice a constraint in terms of the second analytic deviation of the module $E$ if its reduction number is at least three.

We establish the continuity of Hilbert–Kunz multiplicity and F-signature as functions from a Cohen–Macaulay local ring $(R,\mathfrak{m},k)$ of prime characteristic to the real numbers at reduced parameter elements with respect to the $\mathfrak{m}$-adic topology.

For a pair $(R,I)$, where $R$ is a standard graded domain of dimension $d$ over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0, and $I$ is a graded ideal of finite colength, we prove that the existence of $\lim _{p\rightarrow \infty }e_{HK}(R_{p},I_{p})$ is equivalent, for any fixed $m\geqslant d-1$, to the existence of $\lim _{p\rightarrow \infty }\ell (R_{p}/I_{p}^{[p^{m}]})/p^{md}$. This we get as a consequence of Theorem 1.1: as $p\longrightarrow \infty$, the convergence of the Hilbert–Kunz (HK) density function $f(R_{p},I_{p})$ is equivalent to the convergence of the truncated HK density functions $f_{m}(R_{p},I_{p})$ (in $L^{\infty }$ norm) of the mod $p$reductions$(R_{p},I_{p})$, for any fixed $m\geqslant d-1$. In particular, to define the HK density function $f_{R,I}^{\infty }$ in char 0, it is enough to prove the existence of $\lim _{p\rightarrow \infty }f_{m}(R_{p},I_{p})$, for any fixed $m\geqslant d-1$. This allows us to prove the existence of $e_{HK}^{\infty }(R,I)$ in many new cases, for example, when Proj R is a Segre product of curves.

We study the relationship between the reduction number of a primary ideal of a local ring relative to one of its minimal reductions and the multiplicity of the corresponding Sally module. This paper is focused on three goals: (i) to develop a change of rings technique for the Sally module of an ideal to allow extension of results from Cohen–Macaulay rings to more general rings; (ii) to use the fiber of the Sally modules of almost complete intersection ideals to connect its structure to the Cohen–Macaulayness of the special fiber ring; (iii) to extend some of the results of (i) to two-dimensional Buchsbaum rings. Along the way, we provide an explicit realization of the $S_{2}$-fication of arbitrary Buchsbaum rings.

Our object of study is a rational map  defined by homogeneous forms $g_{1},\ldots ,g_{n}$ , of the same degree $d$ , in the homogeneous coordinate ring $R=k[x_{1},\ldots ,x_{s}]$ of $\mathbb{P}_{k}^{s-1}$ . Our goal is to relate properties of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F9}$ , of the homogeneous coordinate ring $A=k[g_{1},\ldots ,g_{n}]$ of the variety parameterized by $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F9}$ , and of the Rees algebra ${\mathcal{R}}(I)$ , the bihomogeneous coordinate ring of the graph of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F9}$ . For a regular map $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F9}$ , for instance, we prove that ${\mathcal{R}}(I)$ satisfies Serre’s condition $R_{i}$ , for some $i>0$ , if and only if $A$ satisfies $R_{i-1}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F9}$ is birational onto its image. Thus, in particular, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F9}$ is birational onto its image if and only if ${\mathcal{R}}(I)$ satisfies $R_{1}$ . Either condition has implications for the shape of the core, namely, $\text{core}(I)$ is the multiplier ideal of $I^{s}$ and $\text{core}(I)=(x_{1},\ldots ,x_{s})^{sd-s+1}.$ Conversely, for $s=2$ , either equality for the core implies birationality. In addition, by means of the generalized rows of the syzygy matrix of $g_{1},\ldots ,g_{n}$ , we give an explicit method to reduce the nonbirational case to the birational one when $s=2$ .

We consider plane Cremona maps with proper base points and the base ideal generated by the linear system of forms defining the map. The object of this work is to study the link between the algebraic properties of the base ideal and those of the ideal of these points fattened by the virtual multiplicities arising from the linear system. We reveal conditions which naturally regulate this association, with particular emphasis on the homological side. While most classical numerical inequalities concern the three highest virtual multiplicities, here we emphasize also the role of one single highest multiplicity. In this vein we describe classes of Cremona maps for large and small values of the highest virtual multiplicity. We also deal with the delicate question as to when is the base ideal non-saturated and consider the structure of its saturation.

We give explicit formulas for the Hilbert series of residual intersections of a scheme in terms of the Hilbert series of its conormal modules. In a previous paper, we proved that such formulas should exist. We give applications to the number of equations defining projective varieties and to the dimension of secant varieties of surfaces and three-folds.

We present results on the Watanabe–Yoshida conjecture for the Hilbert–Kunz multiplicity of a local ring of positive characteristic. By improving on a “volume estimate” giving a lower bound for Hilbert–Kunz multiplicity, we obtain the conjecture when the ring has either Hilbert–Samuel multiplicity less than or equal to 5 or dimension less than or equal to 6. For nonregular rings with fixed dimension, a new lower bound for the Hilbert–Kunz multiplicity is obtained.

In this paper we give new lower bounds on the Hilbert-Kunz multiplicity of unmixed nonregular local rings, bounding them uniformly away from 1. Our results improve previous work of Aberbach and Enescu.

This paper takes a new look at ideals generated by 2×2 minors of 2×3 matrices whose entries are powers of three elements not necessarily forming a regular sequence. A special case of this is the ideals determining monomial curves in three-dimensional space, which were studied by Herzog. In the broader context studied here, these ideals are identified as Northcott ideals in the sense of Vasconcelos, and so their liaison properties are displayed. It is shown that they are set-theoretically complete intersections, revisiting the work of Bresinsky and of Valla. Even when the three elements are taken to be variables in a polynomial ring in three variables over a field, this point of view gives a larger class of ideals than just the defining ideals of monomial curves. We then characterize when the ideals in this larger class are prime, we show that they are usually radical and, using the theory of multiplicities, we give upper bounds on the number of their minimal prime ideals, one of these primes being a uniquely determined prime ideal of definition of a monomial curve. Finally, we provide examples of characteristic-dependent minimal prime and primary structures for these ideals.

Quasi-socle ideals, that is, ideals of the form I = Q: mq (q ≥ 2), with Q parameter ideals in a Buchsbaum local ring (A,m), are explored in connection to the question of when I is integral over Q and when the associated graded ring G(I) ⊕ n≥0In/In+1 of I is Buchsbaum. The assertions obtained by Wang in the Cohen-Macaulay case hold true after necessary modifications of the conditions on parameter ideals Q and integers q. Examples are explored.

Let (A,m) be a Noetherian local ring with d = dim A ≥ 2. Then, if A is a Buchsbaum ring, the first Hilbert coefficients of A for parameter ideals Q are constant and equal to where hi(A) denotes the length of the ith local cohomology module of A with respect to the maximal ideal m. This paper studies the question of whether the converse of the assertion holds true, and proves that A is a Buchsbaum ring if A is unmixed and the values are constant, which are independent of the choice of parameter ideals Q in A. Hence, a conjecture raised by [GhGHOPV] is settled affirmatively.