New approaches to bounding the multiplicity of an ideal

We use the theory of resolutions for a given Hilbert function to investigate the multiplicity conjectures of Huneke and Srinivasan, and Herzog and Srinivasan. To prove the conjectures for all modules with a particular Hilbert function, we show that it is enough to prove the statements only for elements at the bottom of the partially ordered set of resolutions with that Hilbert function. This enables us to test the conjectured upper bound for the multiplicity efficiently with the computer algebra system Macaulay 2, and we verify the upper bound for many Artinian modules in three variables with small socle degree. Moreover, with this approach, we show that though numerical techniques have been sufficient in several of the known special cases, they are insufficient to prove the conjectures in general. Finally, we apply a result of Herzog and Srinivasan on ideals with a quasipure resolution to prove the upper bound for Cohen-Macaulay quotients by ideals with generators in high degrees relative to the regularity. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.