Formal expansion at a smooth point 2026-10-14
A chosen regular system of parameters gives the displayed completion isomorphism by sending to . The associated graded ring of a regular local ring is the polynomial ring on their initial forms. Successively removing the homogeneous initial form of each remainder gives a unique formal series for every local function. The Krull intersection theorem embeds the local ring in its completion. The power-series characterization is also given in Stacks Project Lemma 10.160.10.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 21 4 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put , and . Smoothness makes a regular local ring, with residue field . A list of local parameters is a regular system of parameters: its images form a basis of the cotangent space of a local ring . Set . The basis condition says , so the finitely generated module equals . The Nakayama lemma gives
We now construct the requested formal power series, rather than assert that a local function has a convergent expansion. The associated graded ring of a regular local ring isIndeed these initial forms generate the graded ring, since the generate . The Dimension theorem for Noetherian local rings gives . A nonzero kernel in the surjection from the polynomial ring would make its quotient have dimension at most , so that kernel is zero.
For , choose to be its residue at . Inductively suppose homogeneous polynomials have been chosen such thatThe graded-ring isomorphism gives a unique homogeneous polynomial of degree representing the class of in . Subtracting makes the next remainder lie in . HenceThis equality is interpreted in the adic completion of a module . The same induction applies to every compatible sequence of residues in this inverse limit, so evaluation defines an isomorphism . It is injective because the lowest nonzero homogeneous term of a series has nonzero initial form. The Krull intersection theorem gives , so embeds in its completion and the series determines . This is the formal expansion at a smooth point; it depends on the chosen regular system of parameters, and does not claim that the infinite sum converges inside . If , the local ring is just , and only the constant term is needed.