Seminar in Algebraic Geometry and Number Theory

Abstract: Let I be an ideal of a Noetherian local ring R. We study how properties of the ideal change under small perturbations, that is, when I is replaced by an ideal J which is the same as I modulo a large power of the maximal ideal. In particular, assuming that R/J has the same Hilbert function as R/I, we show that the Betti numbers of R/J coincide with those of R/I. We also compare the local cohomology modules of R/J with those of R/I.