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The subspace filtration and quotient filtration in a short exact sequence are good when the associated graded algebra is Noetherian. Their cumulative Hilbert functions add in every degree. Positive leading coefficients make the degree of the sum the larger degree; when both degrees agree, factorial times the leading coefficients add. Thus equal-dimensional nonzero factors consume positive multiplicity of a filtered module. With a standard graded algebra normalization these multiplicities are integral.

Give $N$ the subspace filtration and $M/N$ the quotient filtration. If the degree-$i$ class of $m\in F_{i}M$ maps to zero, then $m=n+m^{\prime }$ with $n\in N$ and $m^{\prime }\in F_{i-1}M$. Thus $n\in N\cap F_{i}M$ and the class comes from $\mathrm{gr}N$. Inclusion is injective in every degree and the quotient map is surjective, proving the displayed short exact sequence of associated graded modules. Exactness can fail for arbitrarily chosen incompatible filtrations.

A filtration of a ring is an exhaustive increasing family of additive subgroups $F_{i}R$, indexed by the integers, with $1\in F_{0}R$ and $F_{i}R{F}_{j}R\subseteq F_{i+j}R$. A compatible filtration of a module on a right module satisfies $F_{i}M{F}_{j}R\subseteq F_{i+j}M$. The associated graded module has components $F_{i}M/F_{i-1}M$, and its action by the associated graded ring isChanging either representative changes the product only by an element of $F_{i+j-1}M$, so the action is well-defined.

The subspace filtration on $N$ is $F_{i}N=N\cap F_{i}M$. The quotient filtration is $F_i(M/N)=(F_{i}M+N)/N$. Inclusion induces an injective map $\mathrm{gr}N\to \mathrm{gr}M$, and the quotient induces a surjective map to $\mathrm{gr}(M/N)$. If $m\in F_{i}M$ maps to zero in its degree-$i$ quotient, write $m=n+m^{\prime }$ with $n\in N$ and $m^{\prime }\in F_{i-1}M$. Then $n\in N\cap F_{i}M$, so the kernel is exactly the image of $\mathrm{gr}N$. We have the short exact sequencewhich is exactness of associated graded modules for induced filtrations.

For the negative case, $F_{i}R=R$ for $i\ge 0$. Completeness means that $R\to {\underleftarrow{\lim }}_{q}R/F_{-q}R$ is an isomorphism; in particular the filtration of a ring is separated. If $x\in F_{-1}R$ and $r\in R$, then $(xr{)}^q\in F_{-q}R$. The geometric seriesconverges in the complete negative filtration and is a two-sided inverse of $1-xr$, by the finite geometric identity and continuity of multiplication. The unit criterion for the Jacobson radical now gives

Let $I$ be any right ideal. The associated graded module $\mathrm{gr}I$ for its subspace filtration is a homogeneous ideal on the right in $\mathrm{gr}R$. If $\mathrm{gr}R$ is a right Noetherian ring, choose homogeneous generators that lift to $x_1,\dots ,x_s\in I$, with degrees $d_1,\dots ,d_s\le 0$.

For $x\in I\cap F_{d}R$, cancel its degree-$d$ symbol by a sum ${\sum }_i{x}_i{a}_{i,0}$ with $a_{i,0}\in F_{d-d_i}R$. The remainder belongs to $I\cap F_{d-1}R$. Repeat the cancellation in each succeeding degree. After $q$ steps,For every $i$, the coefficient series converges to some $a_i\in R$ by completeness. Passing to the limit gives $x={\sum }_i{x}_i{a}_i$. Thus these finitely many $x_i$ generate the actual right ideal $I$; no assumption that $I$ is closed is needed. Since every right ideal is finitely generated, $R$ is right Noetherian, by complete negative filtered-graded transfer of Noetherianity.

Fix a finite-dimensional nonnegative filtration of a ring giving $R$ its almost commutative algebra structure, and choose a good filtration of a module on $M$. When $\mathrm{gr}R$ is a standard graded algebra, the Hilbert-Serre theorem makes the cumulative Hilbert function $h_M(j)={\dim }_k{F}_{j}M$ eventually a polynomial. For $M\ne 0$, define the dimension of a filtered module and multiplicity of a filtered module byUse $d(0)=-\infty$ and $m(0)=0$. 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, $h_M(j)=c{j}^d+O(j^{d-1})$, and the definitions are $d(M)=d$ and $m(M)=d!c$. 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 $h_F(j-a)\le h_G(j)\le h_F(j+b)$ for fixed $a,b$. Comparing their leading growth shows that the degree and leading coefficient agree. Thus $d(M)$ and $m(M)$ are independent of the module filtration; the fixed algebra filtration is part of the multiplicity convention.

For a submodule $N$, use its subspace filtration and the quotient filtration on $M/N$. These are good because $\mathrm{gr}R$ is Noetherian. The short exact sequence of filtered pieces givesNonzero leading coefficients are positive, soIf $d(N)=d(M/N)$, those leading coefficients add andThis is dimension and multiplicity in a filtered exact sequence.

For the Weyl algebra $A_n(k)$ in characteristic zero, Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules asserts $d(M)\ge n$ for every nonzero finitely generated module $M$. Write its generators as $x_i,D_i$, with $[D_i,x_j]={\delta }_{ij}$ and all other generator commutators zero. The ordered monomials $x^{\alpha }{D}^{\beta }$ give the Bernstein filtrationTake a finite-dimensional generating subspace $V\ne 0$ of $M$ and put $M_j=A_{j}V$.

To prove faithful finite-step action of a Weyl algebra, consider $0\ne a\in A_j$ and choose a nonzero coefficient $c_{\alpha \beta }$ of a monomial of maximal total degree $d\le j$. Applying ${\prod }_i(\mathrm{ad}{D}_i{)}^{{\alpha }_i}(\mathrm{ad}{x}_i{)}^{{\beta }_i}$ to $a$ givesIndeed, these commutators differentiate the ordered coefficients: lower-degree monomials vanish, and another degree-$d$ monomial can survive only if all its exponents dominate $(\alpha ,\beta )$, which forces equality. This is scalar extraction by iterated Weyl commutators.

Expanding these iterated commutators writes $\lambda ={\sum }_{\ell }{u}_{\ell }a{v}_{\ell }$ with $u_{\ell },v_{\ell }\in A_j$. If $a$ annihilated $M_j$, every summand would annihilate $V$, contrary to $\lambda V\ne 0$. Therefore the action map is injective:Taking dimensions and comparing polynomial degrees giveswhich proves Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules. The polynomial representation $k[x_1,\dots ,x_n]$ has dimension $n$, 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 $A_n(k)$ a left Noetherian ring. Thus every submodule of a finitely generated module is finitely generated. If $d(M)=n$, every nonzero subquotient has dimension at most $n$ by the exact-sequence formula, and at least $n$ by Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules. Every such subquotient therefore has dimension $n$ and positive integral multiplicity.

In a strictly descending chain $M=M_0⊋M_1⊋\cdots$, each nonzero quotient $M_i/M_{i+1}$ consumes at least one unit of multiplicity, by dimension and multiplicity in a filtered exact sequence. Hence there are at most $m(M)$ strict steps. This proves the descending chain condition, so $M$ is Artinian. In fact this holonomic Weyl algebra module has module length at most $m(M)$, as in multiplicity bounds the length of a holonomic Weyl module.