A Mayer-Vietoris calculus for regular denominators

Abstract

Let $A$ be a commutative ring and let $I$ be an ideal. An element $a\in A$ is a regular denominator for $I$ when multiplication by $a$ on $A/I$ is injective; we denote the set of all such elements by $S_I$. We study how the common regular denominators for two ideals $I$ and $J$ are related to $I\cap J$ and $I+J$. This yields a particularly simple description when $I$ and $J$ are comaximal. Over Noetherian rings, the same viewpoint classifies denominator-equivalence classes by finite nonempty antichains of prime ideals, gives bounds for the associated primes of an intersection and leads to a local length identity. Furthermore, we show that flat base change preserves regular denominators, faithful flatness reflects them, and finite locally free quotients have fiberwise regular loci defined by determinants satisfying a multiplicative Mayer-Vietoris formula. Our results provide alternatives to primary-decomposition computations in many concrete situations.