The Jacobson radical is , where runs over the maximal right ideals. Every proper right ideal lies in such an : the union of a chain of proper right ideals containing is a right ideal and remains proper because it omits . Thus Zorn lemma applies.
The right-module form of Nakayama lemma says that a finitely generated module with is zero. More generally, if is a submodule and , then . To prove the first statement, suppose and take a generating set of minimal size. Since , there are with
The unit criterion for the Jacobson radical makes a unit. Hence is generated by the other , a contradiction. Apply this result to the quotient module to obtain the general form.
For an injective module endomorphism of an Artinian module , the descending chain condition gives
for some . Given , write ; injectivity of gives . Thus is surjective, as asserted by Artinian modules are co-Hopfian.
Now is a semilocal ring and is a finitely generated module over the right Artinian ring . A finite direct sum of copies of , and hence its quotient module , is an Artinian module. The module endomorphism induces on , and the given inverse-image condition says precisely that . The preceding argument makes surjective, so
The quotient module is finitely generated and satisfies . Applying Nakayama lemma yields . Therefore is surjective, by surjectivity from injectivity modulo the Jacobson radical.
Fix a finite-dimensional nonnegative filtration of a ring giving its almost commutative algebra structure, and choose a good filtration of a module on . When is a standard graded algebra, the Hilbert-Serre theorem makes the cumulative Hilbert function eventually a polynomial. For , define the dimension of a filtered module and multiplicity of a filtered module by
Use and . With positive weighted generators instead of a standard grading, the cumulative Hilbert function is eventually a quasipolynomial with a common positive leading coefficient across residue classes. Equivalently, , and the definitions are and . The common leading coefficient follows from monotonicity: interlacing consecutive residue classes forces their leading coefficients to agree. For a standard grading, multiplicity is a positive integer, since an integer-valued polynomial has an integral expansion in the binomial polynomials; weighted normalization can instead give a positive rational number.
Two good filtrations of a module for this fixed algebra filtration bound each other after fixed index shifts. The corresponding Hilbert functions therefore satisfy for fixed . Comparing their leading growth shows that the degree and leading coefficient agree. Thus and are independent of the module filtration; the fixed algebra filtration is part of the multiplicity convention.
For a submodule , use its subspace filtration and the quotient filtration on . These are good because is Noetherian. The short exact sequence of filtered pieces gives
Nonzero leading coefficients are positive, so
If , those leading coefficients add and
This is dimension and multiplicity in a filtered exact sequence.
For the Weyl algebra in characteristic zero, Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules asserts for every nonzero finitely generated module . Write its generators as , with and all other generator commutators zero. The ordered monomials give the Bernstein filtration
Take a finite-dimensional generating subspace of and put .
To prove faithful finite-step action of a Weyl algebra, consider and choose a nonzero coefficient of a monomial of maximal total degree . Applying to gives
Indeed, these commutators differentiate the ordered coefficients: lower-degree monomials vanish, and another degree- monomial can survive only if all its exponents dominate , which forces equality. This is scalar extraction by iterated Weyl commutators.
Expanding these iterated commutators writes with . If annihilated , every summand would annihilate , contrary to . Therefore the action map is injective:
Taking dimensions and comparing polynomial degrees gives
which proves Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules. The polynomial representation has dimension , so the bound is sharp.
The associated graded ring of the Weyl algebra is a polynomial ring, so ascending filtered-graded transfer of Noetherianity makes a left Noetherian ring. Thus every submodule of a finitely generated module is finitely generated. If , every nonzero subquotient has dimension at most by the exact-sequence formula, and at least by Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules. Every such subquotient therefore has dimension and positive integral multiplicity.
In a strictly descending chain , each nonzero quotient consumes at least one unit of multiplicity, by dimension and multiplicity in a filtered exact sequence. Hence there are at most strict steps. This proves the descending chain condition, so is Artinian. In fact this holonomic Weyl algebra module has module length at most , as in multiplicity bounds the length of a holonomic Weyl module.
Use unital rings, and distinguish left and right Noetherianity. A useful form of the noncommutative Hilbert basis theorem is the following: if a ring is generated by a subring and an element , if , and if is a right Noetherian ring, then is a right Noetherian ring. The corresponding left-handed statement holds as well. In particular, a central polynomial ring over a Noetherian ring is Noetherian, and a skew polynomial ring of an automorphism preserves either side's Noetherianity.
Here is a proof of the general right-handed statement. Put and
The equality follows inductively from . These groups form an exhaustive ascending filtration, stable under multiplication by on either side, with . For any and , moving coefficients one step at a time also gives
Fix a right ideal of and define coefficient sets
Each is a right ideal of . Additive closure is immediate. If and , use the preceding transport identity to obtain
Here has this membership because is a right ideal and is stable under right multiplication by . Also , by multiplying on the right by . The ascending chain condition in yields with for .
For each , choose finite right generators of and lifts with . These finitely many lifts generate as a right ideal of . To prove this, let and write , . Then . Put and write . Transport each coefficient as with . Consequently
Induction on , with , expresses in the right ideal generated by the lifts. Every right ideal is therefore finitely generated, proving the theorem. Passing to the opposite ring proves the left-handed version. This proof does not require unique coefficient normal forms.
A poly-(cyclic or finite) group has a finite subnormal series
whose factors are cyclic or finite. Normality is required between consecutive terms. We show inductively that each group ring is both a left Noetherian ring and a right Noetherian ring.
The starting ring is Noetherian, since every ideal is principal. The other module fact we use is that a finitely generated module over a Noetherian ring on the relevant side is a Noetherian module: it is a quotient of a finite direct sum of regular modules, and the ascending chain condition passes to finite sums and quotients. For a finite sum this follows by induction, comparing the intersections of a chain with one summand and its images in the quotient by that summand.
If has finite index, choosing coset representatives shows that is finite free as a left and as a right -module. By finite-module extension preserves Noetherianity, every one-sided ideal of is finitely generated already as a -module, and those same generators generate it as a -ideal. Thus either chain condition passes through a finite factor.
If is infinite cyclic, choose lifting its generator. Every element of has a unique form , and conjugation by gives an automorphism of . Hence
For the polynomial subring , the condition follows from invertibility of , so the proved noncommutative Hilbert basis theorem makes Noetherian on both sides. A right ideal of the skew Laurent polynomial ring is generated by : for any , choose large enough that , and recover . Finite generators of over therefore generate over the Laurent ring. Left multiplication by a large power of proves the left-handed statement. These are the Laurent-extension facts used in the induction.
Every factor of the subnormal series is covered by one of these two cases. Therefore
The argument proves the more general result that group rings of poly-(cyclic or finite) groups are Noetherian over any coefficient ring satisfying both chain conditions.
Since is a finitely generated module, choose a surjection from a finite free module, . A finite free module over a left Noetherian ring is a Noetherian module, so the kernel is finitely generated. Choose a finite free module surjecting onto , then compose its map with . Its kernel is again finitely generated. Repeating constructs an exact sequence
with all finite free modules, hence finitely generated projective modules. Thus the requested projective resolution exists, without asserting that it has finite length.
Assume now that and . We may arrange a length- projective resolution with all terms finite projective. Here is why the preceding construction gives one. Set , with short exact sequences . Applying the Ext functor, whose positive degrees vanish on a projective first argument, gives by repeated dimension shifting
for every left module . The final equality follows from the existence of any length- projective resolution. Vanishing of these degree-one groups means that every short exact sequence ending in splits: its extension class is zero. In particular a free surjection onto splits, so is a projective module. It is finitely generated by the Noetherian kernel construction. Use and for to obtain
For a left finite projective module , put , a right module under . It is a right finite projective module, and its natural evaluation map
is an isomorphism. These claims hold for a finite free module by coordinates, and pass to direct summands, proving them for every finite projective module without any right-Noetherian hypothesis.
Suppose and . Computing the Ext functor from this resolution shows that its last dual map
is surjective. Since is projective as a right module, this map has a right-module section , with . Dualizing gives . Under the natural double-dual identifications, is , so this gives a left-module retraction of .
Therefore for a finite projective module . The next differential has kernel , so restricting it to gives an exact resolution with replacing and the initial removed. This has length , contradicting the definition of projective dimension. For , the nonzero is a finite projective module and a summand of some . A nonzero vector in that summand has a nonzero coordinate, so one coordinate projection restricts to a nonzero map . Thus the degree-zero Hom functor is nonzero as well. We have proved
This is top Ext detects finite projective dimension over a left Noetherian ring. The nonzero-module convention matters when : if one assigns projective dimension zero to the zero module, then is an exception. With the convention , it is outside the asserted finite nonnegative case.
For an example of infinite projective dimension, take the dual numbers over a field , and . The periodic resolution over dual numbers is
It is exact because both the kernel and image of multiplication by are the ideal , and that is also the kernel of . Applying gives a copy of in every degree and zero differentials, since acts as zero on . Consequently
A finite projective resolution would make these groups zero above its length, so
Choose whose classes form a basis of the cotangent space of a local ring , and put . Spanning gives . Thus the quotient module satisfies . It is a finitely generated module, since is a Noetherian ring.
Here is the needed form of the Nakayama lemma, with proof. Choose generators of and write with . For the column vector , . Multiply by the adjugate to obtain . Since , this determinant is a unit in the local ring , so every . Therefore , proving . Conversely, any generators of must span its cotangent space, so at least are needed. Hence
Here denotes the minimal number of generators of a module .
For the additional minimum, the maximal ideal is itself -primary, so it supplies an eligible ideal generated by elements. Consequently
The minimum here is over primary ideals. A bound for every -primary ideal would be false. Indeed, for and , but is primary and needs three generators. To verify primaryness, if and , then cannot be a unit, so and . The three displayed monomials form a basis of , proving the lower bound of three, while they already generate . This illustrates that primary ideals can need more generators than the maximal ideal.
Choose algebra generators for over . Because the extension is integral, each satisfies a monic equation
Repeatedly reduce any exponent at least using this equation. Since the generators commute, every polynomial in them becomes an -linear combination of the finitely many monomials
Thus is a finitely generated module over , with at most generators. This proves the relevant subalgebra generated by finitely many integral elements assertion rather than merely invoking it.
For a fixed prime ideal , form the fiber ring . Tensoring the finite generating list shows : its pure tensors with one span the fiber over the residue field . Part (b) therefore gives only finitely many primes in . By the canonical bijection in part (a), these are precisely the primes of contracting to . Hence
No Noetherian hypothesis on is needed. For an empty algebra-generating list, and the empty product gives the same conclusion.
A Noetherian module satisfies the ascending chain condition on its submodules; equivalently every submodule is a finitely generated module. If the latter condition holds, the union of an ascending chain has a finite generating set lying in one member, so the chain stabilizes. Conversely, a submodule with no finite generating set allows successive choices outside the submodule generated so far, producing a strictly ascending chain. A Noetherian ring is a ring that is Noetherian as a module over itself, equivalently one whose ideals are all finitely generated.
The formal power series ring consists of sequences written , with coefficientwise addition and the Cauchy product:
Every coefficient uses a finite sum; no analytic convergence is involved. Evaluation at zero gives . A quotient ring of a Noetherian ring is Noetherian, because its ascending chains of ideals lift to such chains upstairs. Thus one direction of Noetherianity of a formal power series ring is immediate.
For the other direction suppose is Noetherian, and let be an ideal. Define the coefficient ideals of a formal power series ideal
Each is an ideal, and multiplication by gives . Choose with . For , choose generators for , and choose series whose coefficients are those generators. Empty generating sets are allowed for zero ideals.
These finitely many series generate . To prove this without assuming that is closed, start with and cancel its coefficients successively. If the residual lies in , its coefficient lies in . Put ; since when , write that coefficient as and subtract . The new residual belongs to .
For , the generators are used only at the single step . For , their accumulated multipliers are the genuine formal power series . Thus the construction yields the exact coefficientwise identity
Every coefficient of the residual vanishes after finitely many steps. This is an ordinary finite generating expression in , not merely an approximation by elements of a smaller ideal. Therefore every ideal is finitely generated, proving
Finally, for the surjective module endomorphism , the kernels stabilize because is a Noetherian module. Take with . If , surjectivity of gives with . Then , so and . Hence is injective as well as surjective; its inverse is automatically -linear. This proves is an isomorphism, the statement that Noetherian modules are Hopfian.
Choose a surjection . Since is a Noetherian ring, a finite free module is a Noetherian module, and its kernel is a finitely generated module. Choose a finite free surjection and repeat. This constructs a resolution by finitely generated free modules
whose terms are, in particular, finitely generated projective modules. It may be infinite; the request is finite generation of every term, not finite length.
Now suppose the nonzero finitely generated module has finite projective dimension . For , its th syzygy in this free resolution is projective. Indeed, dimension shifting along the successive kernel sequences gives
for every module . The vanishing follows by computing the latter Ext functor from any length- projective resolution. Vanishing of makes every short exact sequence ending in split: apply the long exact sequence of Ext groups to a free surjection onto to lift its identity. Thus is a projective module. It is finitely generated by the preceding construction. Truncating gives
with every term finite projective.
Apply the Hom functor and write . At the top degree,
If this group were zero, would be surjective. The dual module of a finite projective module is finite projective, so this surjection has a section . Finite projective modules identify with their double dual modules: the evaluation map is an isomorphism for a finite free module and passes to its direct summands. Dualizing therefore gives . Hence splits, and is projective. Replacing the last two terms by this quotient shortens the projective resolution to length , contradicting minimality. This proves top Ext detects finite projective dimension:
For , is a nonzero finite projective module and embeds as a summand of . Some coordinate projection restricts nontrivially to , proving as required.
For infinite projective dimension, take the dual-number algebra and . Multiplication by has image and kernel both equal to , giving the periodic resolution over dual numbers
Applying makes every differential zero, so for every . A finite projective resolution would force all sufficiently high Ext functors to vanish. Thus .
The finite-generation hypothesis is essential if the middle sentence's “a module” is interpreted as an unrestricted new module. A concrete vanishing top Ext without finite generation occurs for and . This Noetherian ring has the exact free presentation
Injectivity of follows by examining the largest index of a finitely supported input, since is a non-zero-divisor. For exactness in the middle, use the relations to move a finite sum to its largest index ; its remaining coefficient is , which is zero precisely when its image in is zero. The map onto is surjective because every Laurent series has a lower bound on its exponents.
Applying gives on products the map . It is surjective: for any , set . These are well-defined formal power series, because each coefficient receives only finitely many contributions, and . Consequently . But : the image of every must lie in , since it is divisible by every power of . A nonzero projective module is a summand of a free module and therefore has a nonzero coordinate map to . Thus is not projective, while its displayed resolution has length one. In particular,
The nonvanishing conclusion proved above retains the finitely generated introduced at the start of the question.
For each , maximality implies a nontrivial relation
Here , since otherwise this would contradict the linear independence in a module of . Thus . Take , with empty product equal to one. Because is an integral domain, . Every satisfies , and this is also true for . Expressing any element of the finitely generated module as an -linear combination of now gives . This is clearing denominators relative to an independent module subset; it does not require to be a field.
Put and let be the integral closure of in . We first establish the elementary integral extension machinery, and then use the trace pairing to put inside a finite -module.
An integral element satisfies a monic polynomial over the base ring. If its equation has degree , the powers generate as an -module. More generally, adjoining finitely many integral elements gives a finitely generated module: reduce the exponent of each generator using its monic equation. Conversely, if an -submodule of an extension algebra contains , is finitely generated, and is stable under multiplication by , choose generators and write . Multiplying by its adjugate shows that its monic determinant annihilates every , hence annihilates . This finite-module criterion for integrality is the determinant trick.
If are integral elements, the finite -module is stable under , and . The criterion proves that these are integral elements. Thus the integral closure really is a subring. It also proves integral dependence is transitive: if is integral over an integral -algebra , take the finitely many coefficients of its equation, form their finite -subalgebra , and observe that is finite over and therefore finite over . The criterion applies to . In particular, an algebra generated by finitely many integral elements is a finite integral extension, even though an arbitrary integral extension need not be finite.
Choose a -basis of . Each basis element is algebraic over . If
choose a nonzero clearing all coefficient denominators. Then satisfies a monic equation with coefficients . Hence all belong to and still form a -basis. This is integral field basis by denominator clearing.
We next prove the trace of an integral element over a normal domain property. For , its images under all -embeddings of into an algebraic closure are integral elements over , because each satisfies the same monic equation. Their sum is integral by the subring property just proved. Since is a separable field extension, that sum is the field trace and lies in . The normality assumption means that is a normal domain, equivalently an integrally closed domain, so
The same conclusion applies to , since is a ring.
The trace pairing of a finite separable field extension is nondegenerate. One can see this directly using the allowed Galois theory: for a primitive element , the embedding matrix of is a Vandermonde matrix in the distinct conjugates of . Its determinant is nonzero, and the trace Gram matrix is its transpose times itself. Nondegeneracy is unchanged by a change of basis.
Let . Its trace-dual lattice is
Nondegeneracy supplies a trace-dual -basis , with . The coefficient formula gives
Equivalently, the matrix has entries in and nonzero determinant ; if , then and the adjugate formula gives . Thus as well. Both descriptions exhibit a finite free ambient -module.
A finite -module is a Noetherian module when is a Noetherian ring, and every submodule of a Noetherian module is finitely generated. Since is an -submodule of , we obtain
This proves finiteness of integral closure in a finite separable extension. The hypotheses have distinct roles: separability makes the trace pairing nonsingular, normality puts integral traces back in , and Noetherianity makes the contained submodule finite. Also , since the integral basis elements span over , and is itself Noetherian because its ideals are -submodules of a finite -module.
Work with the usual commutative unital Noetherian ring convention. First prove that every submodule of is a finitely generated module. For , a submodule is an ideal, hence finitely generated by Noetherianity. For the induction step, project a submodule onto its last coordinate. Its image is a finitely generated ideal; choose lifts in of its generators. The projection kernel lies in and is finitely generated by induction. The kernel generators together with the chosen lifts generate , since subtracting a combination of the lifts leaves an element of the kernel.
Now choose a surjection from a finite generating set of the module . For any submodule , its inverse image in is finitely generated by the result just proved. The images of those generators generate .
Every submodule of is finitely generated. In particular is a Noetherian module: the union of an ascending chain is a submodule, and its finite generators all belong to a single member of the chain, forcing eventual stabilization.
The Laurent polynomial ring is a localization of a ring:
The Hilbert basis theorem makes a Noetherian ring, and Localization of a Noetherian ring preserves this property. Thus .
For separating finite Laurent support by an integer weight, take a nonzero Laurent polynomial and let be its finite set of exponent pairs with nonzero coefficients. Choose an integer such that
where the maximum is zero if has only one member. Set . If , then
so and then . Consequently all powers of in are distinct. The linear independence of the Laurent monomials prevents cancellation, giving
The choice depends on the finite support of ; a single fixed substitution need not detect every nonzero element.
For Noetherianity of subalgebras of a one-variable Laurent polynomial ring, let be a unital -subalgebra of . If , it is already a Noetherian ring. Otherwise we find a nonconstant and an ambient ring containing such that is a finitely generated module over .
If , choose a nonconstant polynomial in , where . Then is an integral element over , since it satisfies the monic polynomial equation
Thus is a finitely generated module over , generated by . The case is identical after replacing by .
In the remaining case is contained in neither of these two polynomial rings. There is an element with a positive exponent and an element with a negative exponent. If either already has both, use it as . Otherwise their sum has both, since the positive powers of the first and the negative powers of the second cannot cancel. We obtain
Multiplying this identity by gives a polynomial equation for with leading coefficient :
Dividing by makes it monic. Similarly, multiplication by gives a monic equation for after division by . Both generators are therefore integral elements over , so is a finitely generated module over .
In all three cases is a Noetherian ring, as a quotient of a one-variable polynomial ring. The subalgebra is also a -submodule, so it is a Noetherian module. Every ideal of is a -submodule of and is therefore finitely generated over , hence over . This proves
For the final request, take the following subalgebra of the two-variable Laurent polynomial ring:
Let , an ideal of . We have
as -vector spaces. In particular, the classes of , for , are linearly independent. If had finitely many generators as an -module, their classes would span over , contradicting its infinite dimension. Hence is not finitely generated and is not a Noetherian ring. This illustrates why the preceding result is special to one Laurent variable.
The Weak Hilbert Nullstellensatz states that if is an algebraically closed field, every maximal ideal of is
Equivalently, every proper ideal has a common zero. We prove the more general field statement, the Zariski lemma: a field finitely generated as a -algebra is a finite field extension of .
Write such a field as . Choose a maximal set of algebraically independent elements among these generators and denote the remaining generators by . Each is an algebraic element over , so is a finite field extension. Clearing the denominators in their monic equations, choose a nonzero such that each is an integral element over
Because is a field and , we have . Thus is an integral extension of .
A subring over which a field is integral must itself be a field. Indeed, for , an integral equation for multiplied by expresses as an element of . But if , the ring is not a field: choose an irreducible polynomial which does not divide . There are infinitely many monic irreducible polynomials in , by the usual product-plus-one argument, whereas only finitely many can divide the nonzero . The prime ideal stays proper after inverting , so has no inverse in . Therefore , proving that is a finite field extension, and in particular an algebraic field extension.
Apply the Zariski lemma to the residue field of a maximal ideal. When is an algebraically closed field, this field is itself. The images of then give , proving the Weak Hilbert Nullstellensatz.
For the real Laurent polynomial ring, the same argument applies because it is the finitely generated algebra
Every residue field at a maximal ideal is consequently a finite field extension of , and so is or . Here we use the fundamental theorem of algebra, which makes the algebraic closure of of degree two. The images of must be nonzero since these elements are units. It follows that the answer is
with and defining the same maximal ideal. If both coordinates are real, evaluation has image ; otherwise its image is . Thus every displayed kernel is maximal, and the Zariski lemma shows that this list is exhaustive.
For explicit generating sets of an ideal, there are three cases. For real nonzero ,
If and with ,
If with and , then
The last two quotients are ; the nonzero coordinate condition ensures that the Laurent inverses exist in them. There are no further coincidences in the classification: equal kernels induce an -isomorphism between the evaluation image fields. The only -automorphisms of are the identity and complex conjugation, so the two pairs must agree or be conjugate.
To prove the intersection assertion, fix a prime ideal and an element . The integral domain has nonzero image . Its localization of a ring is nonzero and still a finitely generated algebra over , so it has a maximal ideal . By the Zariski lemma, the field is finite over .
The image of in is a subring containing and is a finite-dimensional -vector space. It is an integral domain, hence a field: multiplication by any nonzero element is an injective linear map of a finite-dimensional vector space and therefore surjective. The kernel of is thus a maximal ideal which avoids , since is invertible in . Its inverse image in is a maximal ideal containing but avoiding . As this works for every ,
This is the Jacobson ring property for this Laurent polynomial ring.
For a nonzero finitely generated module , its set of associated primes is
Here is the annihilator of the element. The Laurent polynomial ring is a Noetherian ring, so the nonempty collection of annihilators of nonzero elements of has a maximal member, say . It is proper because .
If and , then and
Maximality forces , hence . Thus is a prime ideal, proving . This argument in fact only needs that is Noetherian, not the finite generation of .
A proper ideal is -primary when its radical of an ideal is and
Equivalently, and imply ; equivalently, every zero divisor of is nilpotent. These formulations distinguish the actual primary ideal property from the weaker assertion that there is only one minimal prime ideal.
For the final example, set and . Then
Since is an integral domain, is a prime ideal. Moreover and , so . Consequently is the unique minimal prime ideal over .
Nevertheless , while and no power of belongs to . For the first assertion, reduce modulo : the image of is in , and is not a multiple of because is a nonunit in this integral domain. For the second, , so for every . Thus is not a -primary ideal: a unique minimal prime does not imply primary. In , the nonzero class of is killed by , a zero divisor which is not nilpotent.
The Artin-Rees lemma states that, for a Noetherian ring , an ideal , a finitely generated module , and a submodule , there is such that
Thus the filtration on induced from the I-adic filtration of is eventually determined by one of its terms.
For the proof, form the Rees ring and its Rees module:
Since is a Noetherian ring, write . Then , so it is a Noetherian ring by the Hilbert basis theorem. Generators of in degree zero generate as a module over , so this is a Noetherian module.
The graded submodule
is therefore finitely generated. Choose homogeneous generators with for some . For , taking degree- components gives
The same generators show that the final sum is exactly . This proves the Artin-Rees lemma. If , one may simply take .
Now let
It is a submodule of the Noetherian module , hence a finitely generated module. Apply the Artin-Rees lemma with and . Since is contained in every (including ), its conclusion reduces to
Write generators as . There is a matrix with entries in such that . Multiplication by the adjugate of shows that
The determinant is congruent to modulo , so it is for some . This determinant trick produces a single such element annihilating all of , and in particular annihilating each . If , use .
Conversely, if with , then . Iterating gives for every . Hence the exact description is
In a local ring with contained in the maximal ideal, every is a unit, so this also yields the usual vanishing form of the Krull intersection theorem.
For a failure without the Noetherian ring hypothesis, let and use the semigroup algebra
Its elements are finite sums of formal monomials , with multiplication . Each ring in the union is a polynomial ring and the inclusions are injective, so is an integral domain. It is not a Noetherian ring, since
Indeed the generator on the left is the square of the next generator, while division in the opposite direction would require a negative exponent, which is unavailable in .
Let be the ideal of elements with zero constant term, equivalently
It is proper because taking the constant term gives . Every generator is , with , so . Thus this is a nonzero idempotent ideal, with for every . Take
For every , the constant term of is , so . Since is an integral domain and , we have . This gives all three requested objects and proves that no element of the required form annihilates .
For a finitely generated module over the graded ring , with each of degree one, its Poincare series of a graded module is
This is also its Hilbert series. One usually takes ; allowing an integer grading also permits finitely many negative degrees. Homogeneous generators of degrees give a surjection , where the graded shift is defined by . Consequently every is a finite-dimensional vector space and for all sufficiently negative .
The Hilbert-Serre theorem in the standard grading says
For a nonnegatively graded , the numerator is in . Equivalently, the only possible pole of this rational expression is at , with order at most .
We prove the Hilbert-Serre theorem by induction on the number of variables. For , and is a finite-dimensional graded module; thus is a Laurent polynomial. Suppose and put
The Hilbert basis theorem makes a Noetherian ring, so is a finitely generated module, as is . Both are graded modules killed by , hence finitely generated over .
The graded exact sequence
identifies the kernel and cokernel of multiplication by . Taking the alternating sum of the finite-dimensional degree components yields
so
By induction the right side has denominator , which proves the required denominator . Since has no negative powers when is nonnegatively graded, its Laurent polynomial numerator is an ordinary polynomial in that case.
For , this also implies the usual Hilbert polynomial consequence. Writing and using
gives, for all sufficiently large ,
a polynomial in of degree at most . For , the graded pieces are eventually zero.
For the final request, a free resolution of is an exact sequence
with each a free module. In the graded setting we take finite direct sums of shifts and maps preserving degree. The resolution has length at most if for every . The syzygy modules are the successive kernels which record the relations among generators, then relations among those relations, and so on.
Put , the homogeneous maximal ideal with . Choose a homogeneous -basis of and lift it to . These lifts generate by the graded Nakayama lemma: a bounded-below graded module satisfying must be zero, since a nonzero homogeneous element of least degree could not be a sum of variables times elements of lower degrees. Apply this to the quotient by the submodule generated by the chosen lifts. This gives a surjection inducing an isomorphism modulo .
Its kernel is finitely generated because is a Noetherian ring. Repeat the construction for that kernel, then for each subsequent kernel. We obtain a minimal graded free resolution, meaning
Indeed, at each stage the free cover induces an isomorphism modulo , so its kernel lies in times its source. The sequence is exact by construction, though it may at first appear infinite.
The Koszul complex on is
with basis vectors given degree one, and differential
The hat means omission of that factor. Every pair of terms in cancels with opposite signs, so this is a chain complex. The sequence is a regular sequence: after quotienting by the first variables, the next variable is a non-zero-divisor in the remaining polynomial ring.
The Koszul complex is consequently exact in positive degrees and has , so it is a Koszul resolution of of length . For completeness, one proves this by induction: for one variable it is . Appending constructs the mapping cone of multiplication by on the previous chain complex. Its homology is zero in positive degrees because acts injectively on ; its degree-zero homology is the further quotient. Here a mapping cone combines a chain complex with a shifted copy and adds the given multiplication map to the differential, thereby measuring its kernel and cokernel on homology.
The Tor functor is defined as the degree- homology of for a free resolution of . It can equally be computed as the homology of , using the Koszul resolution of . To see the equality, form the double complex . Taking homology first along leaves , since each is a free module; taking homology first along leaves , since each is free. The finite sums along each total degree identify both with the homology of the total complex. This also explains the symmetry used in computing the Tor functor.
Since for , we have for . On the other hand, all differentials of the minimal graded free resolution become zero after tensoring with , so
Thus for , and the graded Nakayama lemma implies for those . We have proved the required Hilbert syzygy theorem:
where some initial may be zero. The argument supplies finitely generated graded free modules, which is stronger than merely giving an ungraded free resolution.