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A minimal prime over a principal nonzerodivisor has height one
Statement
Assume the Axiom of Choice (The Axiom of Choice). Let be a Noetherian commutative ring, let be a nonzerodivisor, and let be a prime ideal minimal over . Then .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The Axiom of Choice, a Noetherian commutative ring , a nonzerodivisor , and a prime ideal minimal over .
Every prime minimal over a principal ideal has height at most (Krull's principal ideal theorem).
The principal-ideal reduction passes to a Noetherian local domain whose maximal ideal is minimal over the image of (Reduce the principal ideal theorem to a Noetherian local domain).
A Noetherian local domain has dimension zero exactly when it is a field (A Noetherian local domain has dimension zero exactly when it is a field).
Under AC, the nilradical of a Noetherian ring is the finite intersection of its minimal primes, and the nilradical of a Noetherian localization is nilpotent (A radical ideal in a Noetherian ring is a finite intersection of minimal primes, The nilradical of a Noetherian ring is nilpotent, Every quotient and every localisation of a Noetherian ring is Noetherian).
Proof
By [L1], .
By [L4], the nilradical is a finite intersection of minimal primes. Since contains that intersection, it contains one of those primes; choose . The localization is a nonzero Noetherian local ring with only one prime, . Its nilradical is therefore that maximal ideal and is nilpotent by [L4]. If , the image would be nilpotent in , contradicting that multiplication by the nonzerodivisor remains injective after localization. Thus and .
Apply [L2] to this . In the resulting Noetherian local domain , the image of is nonzero and lies in the maximal ideal. If that maximal ideal had height , then [L3] would make a field, forcing to be a unit, contradiction. Hence the maximal ideal of has height at least , so has height at least .
Steps 1.1 and 2.1 give .
Depends on
- The Axiom of Choice
- A Noetherian local domain has dimension zero exactly when it is a field
- Krull's principal ideal theorem
- Reduce the principal ideal theorem to a Noetherian local domain
- A radical ideal in a Noetherian ring is a finite intersection of minimal primes
- The nilradical of a Noetherian ring is nilpotent
- Every quotient and every localisation of a Noetherian ring is Noetherian
Used by
- A cusp family defeats the missing source hypothesis Counterexample
- Blowing up a point on a singular surface need not be smooth Counterexample
- Rational equivalence and the Chow group of cycles Definition
- Ample divisors meet nonzero effective divisors positively Lemma
- Choose a parameter that misses the top-dimensional minimal components Lemma
- Finite local length exactly when no common local branch Lemma
- Multiplicity one characterises smooth points with a unique tangent Lemma
- Regular hyperplane step for coherent support induction Lemma
- Intersection with a curve is the degree of the restriction Theorem
- Reduced hypersurface germs have pure codimension one Theorem
- The surface intersection product is symmetric and bilinear Theorem
Dependency tree · two levels
32 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.
Sources
- Allen B. Altman and Steven L. Kleiman, A Term of Commutative Algebra, 13th ed., §21 (standard reference, not scraped)
- J. S. Milne, A Primer of Commutative Algebra, v4.03, §21 (standard reference, not scraped)
- Melvin Hochster, Dimension theory and systems of parameters (standard reference, not scraped)