For a regular local ring of embedding dimension , a minimal maximal-ideal generating set induces the displayed polynomial-algebra isomorphism. It is surjective in every degree. A nonzero homogeneous kernel relation would bound the cumulative Hilbert function by , contradicting the prime-chain lower bound for local length at . The graded ring is a domain; the Krull intersection theorem then shows the original ring is a domain by multiplying nonzero initial forms.
Graded module 2026-10-06
A graded module over a graded ring is an -module with a direct sum decomposition satisfying . A graded homomorphism preserves these degrees. Over a polynomial ring with positive variable degrees, a finitely generated module of this kind is bounded below and has finite-dimensional graded components over the coefficient field.
Graded Nakayama lemma Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-07
For a positively graded ring with degree-zero part a field, put . A bounded-below graded module with is zero: a nonzero homogeneous element of least degree would have to be a sum of positive-degree coefficients times elements of lower degree. Hence homogeneous lifts of a basis of generate .
Homogeneous coordinate ring Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
For , the homogeneous coordinate ring is the graded ring .
Homogeneous ideal Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
An ideal in a graded ring is homogeneous when it is generated by homogeneous elements, equivalently when every homogeneous component of each of its elements also belongs to the ideal.
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.
Syzygy module 2026-10-06
Given a free resolution , its first syzygy module is , the module of relations among the chosen generators of . Higher syzygy modules are successive kernels. They depend on the choice of resolution; a minimal graded free resolution gives canonical ranks and degrees of generators over a standard graded ring structure on a polynomial ring.
Veronese subring 2026-09-28
For a nonnegatively graded ring and , its th Veronese subring is
graded by . Passing from to does not change its projective scheme: the standard affine charts give a canonical isomorphism .