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Irreducible components of the spectrum correspond to minimal prime ideals
Statement
Assume the Axiom of Choice.
Let be a commutative ring.
- If is a minimal prime ideal of , then is an irreducible component of . 2. Every irreducible component of is of the form for a unique minimal prime ideal .
Thus irreducible components of correspond exactly to minimal prime ideals.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A commutative ring and the Axiom of Choice.
A nonempty Zariski-closed subset is irreducible exactly when its radical defining ideal is prime, and then it equals the closure of its unique generic point (A Zariski-closed subset is irreducible exactly when its radical defining ideal is prime, and then it has a unique generic point).
is the set of prime ideals containing (The prime spectrum and vanishing sets).
Proof
Let be a minimal prime ideal. Since is prime, fact [L1] shows that is irreducible.
If for an irreducible closed subset , then [L1] gives for a prime ideal . The inclusion means by [L2]. Minimality of forces , so . Hence is maximal among irreducible closed subsets, that is, an irreducible component.
Let be an irreducible component. By [L1], for a prime ideal . If is another prime, then by [L2]. Since is irreducible by [L1], maximality of the component forces , and [L1] then gives . Thus is minimal.
The prime ideal in step 1.3 is unique because [L1] gives a unique generic point for every irreducible component.
Steps 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 2.1 give the claimed correspondence between irreducible components and minimal prime ideals.
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Sources
- J. S. Milne, A Primer of Commutative Algebra, v4.03, Proposition 14.8 (standard reference, not scraped)
- A. Altman and S. Kleiman, A Term of Commutative Algebra, 13th ed., Exercise (13.19) (standard reference, not scraped)
- The Stacks Project, Section 10.26: Irreducible components of spectra (standard reference, not scraped)