First, we construct a bijection between the set of $h$-vectors and the set of socle-vectors of artinian algebras. As a corollary, we find the minimum codimension that an artinian algebra with a given socle-vector can have. Then, we study the main problem in the paper: determining when there is a unique socle-vector for a given $h$-vector. We solve the problem completely if the codimension is at most 3.
This paper is the continuation of the previous work on generalized compressed algebras (GCA's). First we exhibit a new class of socle-vectors $s$ which admit a GCA (whose $h$-vector is lower than the upper-bound $H$ of Theorem A of the previous paper). In particular, it follows that for every socle-vector $s$ of type 2 there exists a GCA (in any codimension $r$). The main result of this paper is the following: there exist pairs $(r,s)$ which do not admit a GCA. Moreover, the way this pathology occurs may be "arbitrarily bad" (even in codimension 3). Finally, we start considering the difficult …
Fix a codimension $r$ and a socle-vector $s$. Is there an (entry by entry) maximal $h$-vector $h$ among the $h$-vectors of all the (standard graded artinian) algebras having data $(r,s)$? Extending a definition of Iarrobino, if such an $h$ exists, we define as {\it generalized compressed} (GCA, in brief) any algebra having the data $(r,s,h)$. The two main results of this paper are: Theorem A, where we supply a very natural upper-bound $H$ for all the $h$-vectors possible for a given pair $(r,s)$; Theorem B, which asserts that, under certain conditions on the pair $(r,s)$, the upper-bound $H$ o…
In this paper we study the O-sequences of the local (or graded) $K$-algebras of socle degree $4.$ More precisely, we prove that an O-sequence $h=(1, 3, h_2, h_3, h_4)$, where $h_4 \geq 2,$ is the $h$-vector of a local level $K$-algebra if and only if $h_3\leq 3 h_4.$ We also prove that $h=(1, 3, h_2, h_3, 1)$ is the $h$-vector of a local Gorenstein $K$-algebra if and only if $h_3 \leq 3$ and $h_2 \leq \binom{h_3+1}{2}+(3-h_3).$ In each of these cases we give an effective method to construct a local level $K$-algebra with a given $h$-vector. Moreover we refine a result by Elias and Rossi by sho…
We classify all possible $h$-vectors of graded artinian Gorenstein algebras in socle degree 4 and codimension $\leq 17$, and in socle degree 5 and codimension $\leq 25$. We obtain as a consequence that the least number of variables allowing the existence of a nonunimodal Gorenstein $h$-vector is 13 for socle degree 4, and 17 for socle degree 5. In particular, the smallest nonunimodal Gorenstein $h$-vector is $(1,13,12,13,1)$, which was constructed by Stanley in his 1978 seminal paper on level algebras. This solves a long-standing open question in this area. All of our results are characteristi…
Stanley-Reisner rings of Buchsbaum* complexes are studied by means of their quotients modulo a linear system of parameters. The socle of these quotients is computed. Extending a recent result by Novik and Swartz for orientable homology manifolds without boundary, it is shown that modulo a part of their socle these quotients are level algebras. This provides new restrictions on the face vectors of Buchsbaum* complexes.
Given a simple graph, consider the polynomial ring with coefficients in a field and variables identified with the edges of the graph. Given a non-empty even cardinality Eulerian subgraph and a choice of half of its edges, consider the homogeneous binomial obtained by taking the product of these edges minus the product of the remaining edges of the subgraph. We define a homogeneous ideal by taking as generators all binomials obtained in this way, varying the Eulerian subgraph and the choice of half of its edges, together with the squares of the variables of the ring. This ideal is related to th…
We conjecture that the set of all Hilbert functions of (artinian) level algebras enjoys a very natural form of regularity, which we call the {\em Interval Conjecture} (IC): If, for some positive integer $α$, $(1,h_1,...,h_i,...,h_e)$ and $(1,h_1,...,h_i+α,...,h_e)$ are both level $h$-vectors, then $(1,h_1,...,h_i+β,...,h_e)$ is also level for each integer $β=0,1,..., α.$ In the Gorenstein case, i.e. when $h_e=1$, we also supply the {\em Gorenstein Interval Conjecture} (GIC), which naturally generalizes the IC, and basically states that the same property simultaneously holds for any two symmetr…
We determine new bounds on the entries of Gorenstein Hilbert functions, both in any fixed codimension and asymptotically. Our first main theorem is a lower bound for the degree $i+1$ entry of a Gorenstein $h$-vector, in terms of its entry in degree $i$. This result carries interesting applications concerning unimodality: indeed, an important consequence is that, given $r$ and $i$, all Gorenstein $h$-vectors of codimension $r$ and socle degree $e\geq e_0=e_0(r,i)$ (this function being explicitly computed) are unimodal up to degree $i+1$. This immediately gives a new proof of a theorem of Stanle…
In this paper we study standard graded artinian level algebras, in particular those whose socle-vector has type 2. Our main results are: the characterization of the level $h$-vectors of the form $(1,r,...,r,2)$ for $r\leq 4$; the characterization of the minimal free resolutions associated to each of the $h$-vectors above when $r=3$; a sharp upper-bound (under certain mild hypotheses) for the level $h$-vectors $(1,r,...,a,2)$ of arbitrary codimension $r$ and type 2, which depends on the next to last entry $a$.
Let R be a polynomial ring in r variables and D a dual ring upon which R acts as partial differential operators (classical apolarity). For a type two graded level Artinian algebras A=R/I, of socle degree j we consider the family of Artinian Gorenstein [AG] quotients of A having the same socle degree. By Macaulay duality, A corresponds to a unique 2-dimensional vector space W(A)=<F,G> of degree-j homogeneous elements (forms) in D, and each such AG quotient of A corresponds to an element $F_λ=F+λG$ in W(A), up to non-zero constant multiple. Our main result is a lower bound for the Hilbert functi…
The study of the $h$-vectors of graded Gorenstein algebras is an important topic in combinatorial commutative algebra, which despite the large amount of literature produced during the last several years, still presents many interesting open questions. In this note, we commence a study of those unimodal Gorenstein $h$-vectors that do \emph{not} satisfy the Stanley-Iarrobino property. Our main results, which are characteristic free, show that such $h$-vectors exist: 1) In socle degree $e$ if and only if $e\ge 6$; and 2) In every codimension five or greater. The main case that remains open is tha…
Given a vector space $V$ of homogeneous polynomials of the same degree over an infinite field, consider a generic subspace $W$ of $V$. The main result of this paper is a lower-bound (in general sharp) for the dimensions of the spaces spanned in each degree by the partial derivatives of the forms generating $W$, in terms of the dimensions of the spaces spanned by the partial derivatives of the forms generating the original space $V$. Rephrasing our result in the language of commutative algebra (where this result finds its most important applications), we have: let $A$ be a type $t$ artinian lev…
This paper can be seen as a continuation of the works contained in the recent preprints [Za], of the second author, and [Mi], of Juan Migliore. Our results are: 1). There exist codimension three artinian level algebras of type two which do not enjoy the Weak Lefschetz Property (WLP). In fact, for $e\gg 0$, we will construct a codimension three, type two $h$-vector of socle degree $e$ such that {\em all} the level algebras with that $h$-vector do not have the WLP. We will also describe the family of those algebras and compute its dimension, for each $e\gg 0$. 2). There exist reduced level sets …
An order ideal is a finite poset X of (monic) monomials such that, whenever M is in X and N divides M, then N is in X. If all, say t, maximal monomials of X have the same degree, then X is pure (of type t). A pure O-sequence is the vector, h=(1,h_1,...,h_e), counting the monomials of X in each degree. Equivalently, in the language of commutative algebra, pure O-sequences are the h-vectors of monomial Artinian level algebras. Pure O-sequences had their origin in one of Richard Stanley's early works in this area, and have since played a significant role in at least three disciplines: the study o…
