On the equations defining tangent cones

Abstract

This paper treats the local study of singularities by means of their tangent cones, more specifically the study of graded rings associated to an ideal of a local ring. We recall some basic facts: let (R,) be a local ring,I, Jideals ofR, such thatJ⊆I; thenGR/J(I/J), the graded ring associated toI/J, is canonically isomorphic to the quotient ofGR(I) modulo a homogeneous ideal, which is calledJ*, and which is generated by the so-called ‘initial forms’ of the elements ofJ. Let us consider the following example: Letkbe a field,R=k[X, Y, Z](x, y, Z),I= (X, Y, Z)R, Jthe prime ideal generated byfl,f2wheref1=Y3−Z2,f2=YZ−X4. Thenand it is easily seen thatJ*properly contains the ideal generated by the initial formsf*1f*2off1,f2; namelyf*1= −Z2,f*2=YZand (Yf1+Zf2)* =Y4∉ (−Z2,YZ).