Regularity of Symbolic Powers of Co-Chordal Edge Ideals

Abstract

Let $G$ be a finite simple co-chordal graph with at least one edge, and let $I(G)$ be its edge ideal. Over an arbitrary field, we prove that the symbolic powers of $I(G)$ satisfy $\mathrm{reg}I(G{)}^{(s)}=2s$ for every $s\ge 1$. Thus every symbolic power of $I(G)$ has a degree resolution. Using Takayama's formula and clique trees, we reduce the regularity problem to a topological one. Finite convex geometry then shows that nontrivial homology implies a suitable set of leaves, and a weighted counting argument gives the required regularity formula. Finally, we show that symbolic powers of co-chordal edge ideals are not necessarily componentwise linear.

14 pages, 1 figure