Parameter test ideals of Cohen Macaulay rings

We describe an algorithm for computing parameter-test-ideals in certain local Cohen-Macaulay rings. The algorithm is based on the study of a Frobenius map on the injective hull of the residue field of the ring and on the application of Rodney Sharp's notion of ``special ideals''. Our techniques also provide an algorithm for computing indices of nilpotency of Frobenius actions on top local cohomology modules of the ring and on the injective hull of its residue field. The study of nilpotent elements on injective hulls of residue fields also yields a great simplification of the proof of the fact that for a power series ring $R$ of prime characteristic, for all nonzero $f\in R$, $1/f$ generates $R_f$ as a $D_R$-module.Comment: 16 pages To appear in Compositio Mathematic

An example of an infinite set of associated primes of a local cohomology module

Let $(R,m)$ be a local Noetherian ring, let $I\subset R$ be any ideal and let $M$ be a finitely generated $R$-module. In 1990 Craig Huneke conjectured that the local cohomology modules $H^i_I(M)$ have finitely many associated primes for all $i$. In this paper I settle this conjecture by constructing a local cohomology module of a local $k$-algebra with an infinite set of associated primes, and I do this for any field $k$

An algorithm for computing compatibly Frobenius split subvarieties

Let $R$ be a ring of prime characteristic $p$, and let $F^e_* R$ denote $R$ viewed as an $R$-module via the $e$th iterated Frobenius map. Given a surjective map $\phi : F^e_* R \to R$ (for example a Frobenius splitting), we exhibit an algorithm which produces all the $\phi$-compatible ideals. We also explore a variant of this algorithm under the hypothesis that $\phi$ is not necessarily a Frobenius splitting (or even surjective). This algorithm, and the original, have been implemented in Macaulay2.Comment: 15 pages, many statements clarified and numerous other substantial improvements to the exposition (thanks to the referees). To appear in the Journal of Symbolic Computatio

Characteristic-independence of Betti numbers of graph ideals

In this paper, we study the Betti numbers of Stanley-Reisner ideals generated in degree 2. We show that the first 6 Betti numbers do not depend on the characteristic of the ground field. We also show that, if the number of variables n is at most 10, all Betti numbers are independent of the ground field. For n = 11, there exists precisely 4 examples in which the Betti numbers depend on the ground field. This is equivalent to the statement that the homology of flag complexes with at most 10 vertices is torsion free and that there exists precisely 4 non-isomorphic flag complexes with 11 vertices whose homology has torsion. In each of the 4 examples mentioned above the 8th Betti numbers depend on the ground field and so we conclude that the highest Betti number which is always independent of the ground field is either 6 or 7; if the former is true then we show that there must exist a graph with 12 vertices whose 7th Betti number depends on the ground field. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved