Test ideals in quotients of $F$-finite regular local rings

Abstract

Let S be an F -finite regular local ring and I an ideal contained in S. Let R = S/I. Fedder proved that R is F -pure if and only if (I [p] : I) * m[p]. We have noted a new proof for his criterion, along with showing that (I [q] : I) ⊆ (τ [q] : τ), where τ is the pullback of the test ideal for R. Combining the the F -purity criterion and the above result we see that if R = S/I is F pure then R/τ is also F -pure. In fact, we can form a filtration of R, I ⊆ τ = τ0 ⊆ τ1 ⊆ . . . ⊆ τi ⊆ . . . that stabilizes such that each R/τi is F -pure and its test ideal is τi+1. To find examples of these filtrations we have made explicit calculations of test ideals in the following setting: Let R = T/I, where T is either a polynomial or a power series ring and I = P1 ∩ . . . ∩ Pn is generated by monomials and the R/Pi are regular. Set J = Σ(P1 ∩ . . . ∩ Pi ∩ . . . ∩ Pn). Then J = τ = τpar. This paper concerns the study of the test ideal in F -finite quotients of regular local rings. Test elements play a key role in tight closure theory. Once known, they make computing tight closures of ideals and modules easier. In fact, in an excellent Gorenstein local ring with an isolated singularity, R/τ ∼= Hom(I∗/I, E) where I is generated by a system of parameters that are test elements and E is the injective hull of R (see [Hu1] and [S1]). We also know for parameter ideals I that I : τ = I∗. Thus knowing τ is basically equivalent to knowing the tight closure of a system of parameters which is contained in the test ideal. A recent paper of Huneke and Smith [HS] links tight closure to Kodaira vanishing for graded rings R with characteristic either 0 or p where p 0. Recall that the a-invariant for a graded ring R, denoted a, is equal to −min{i|[ωR]i 6= 0}, where ωR is the canonical module for R. If R is Gorenstein, then ωR = R(a). Huneke and Smith prove that the test ideal is exactly the ideal generated by elements of degree greater than the a-invariant of R if and only if a strong Kodaira vanishing holds on R. A recent paper of Hara [Ha] confirms that this strong Kodaira vanishing holds in finitely generated algebras over a field of characteristic zero. In this paper we study test ideals of F -finite rings which are reduced quotients of a regular local ring. Reduced quotients of F -finite regular local rings have been studied by both Fedder [Fe] and Glassbrenner [Gl]. Fedder’s work concerns F purity aspects of these rings, and Glassbrenner’s results use Fedder’s techniques to examine strong F -regularity. The object that plays a key role in their work is Received by the editors November 4, 1996. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 13A35.