Mel Hochster | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Lim Cohen-Macaulay sequences of modules

We introduce the notion of a lim Cohen-Macaulay sequence of modules. We prove the existence of such sequences in positive characteristic, and show that their existence in mixed characteristic implies the long open conjecture about positivity of Serre intersection multiplicities for all regular local rings, as well as a new proof of the existence of big Cohen-Macaulay modules. We describe how such a sequence leads to a notion of closure for submodules of finitely generated modules: this family of closure operations includes the usual notion of tight closure in characteristic $p>0$, and all of them have the property of capturing colon ideals. In fact they satisfy axioms formulated by G.~Dietz from which it follows that if a local ring $R$ has a lim Cohen-Macaulay sequence then it has a big Cohen-Macaulay module. We also prove the existence of lim Cohen-Macaulay sequences for certain rings of mixed characteristic.

math.AC↗

arXiv2016

Content of Local Cohomology, Parameter Ideals, and Robust Algebras

This paper continues the investigation of quasilength, of content of local cohomology with respect to generators of the support ideal, and of robust algebras begun in joint work of Hochster and Huneke. We settle several questions raised by Hochster and Huneke. In particular, we give a family of examples of top local cohomology modules both in equal characteristic 0 and in positive prime characteristic that are nonzero but have content 0. We use the notion of a robust forcing algebra (the condition turns out to be strictly stronger than the notion of a solid forcing algebra in, for example, equal characteristic 0) to define a new closure operation on ideals. We prove that this new notion of closure coincides with tight closure for ideals in complete local domains of positive characteristic, which requires proving that forcing algebras for instances of tight closure are robust, and study several related problems. This gives, in effect, a new characterization of tight closure in complete local domains of positive characteristic. As a byproduct, we also answer a question of Lyubeznik in the negative.

math.AC↗