Bounds on the plus-pure thresholds of some hypersurfaces in (ramified) regular rings
Pith reviewed 2026-05-18 18:36 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
The plus-pure threshold of hypersurfaces in mixed characteristic limits to the F-pure threshold as the base DVR ramifies.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The paper shows that the plus-pure threshold limits to the F-pure threshold as the base DVR ramifies. In particular, given a complete unramified regular local ring of mixed characteristic p>0, the equation f^p + p^2 g does not define a perfectoid pure singularity for any f and g. It also computes explicit bounds on the plus-pure thresholds of hypersurfaces related to elliptic curves, yielding examples where the threshold is neither the corresponding F-pure threshold nor the log canonical threshold and where p times the threshold fails to be a jumping number.
What carries the argument
The plus-pure threshold, a numerical invariant for singularities in mixed characteristic obtained via test ideal constructions or limits over ramified extensions of the base DVR.
If this is right
- Analogs of positive characteristic extremal singularities cannot attain the same extremal plus-pure threshold values in the unramified setting.
- Equations that admit p-th roots modulo p^2 have their plus-pure thresholds bounded in a controlled way.
- Hypersurfaces associated to elliptic curves have plus-pure thresholds distinct from both the F-pure threshold and the log canonical threshold.
- Multiples of the plus-pure threshold by p are not necessarily jumping numbers.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- Ramification of the base ring appears necessary to recover the full range of purity thresholds known in positive characteristic.
- Separate classification tools may be needed for singularities in unramified versus ramified mixed characteristic rings.
- The elliptic curve examples could be generalized to other curves to produce further thresholds that interpolate between characteristic p and zero.
Load-bearing premise
The plus-pure threshold is defined so that it varies continuously under ramification of the base DVR while the rings stay regular after adjoining p-th roots or reducing modulo p squared.
What would settle it
An explicit pair of polynomials f and g such that f^p + p^2 g defines a perfectoid pure singularity in a complete unramified regular local ring of mixed characteristic p>0 would disprove the non-purity statement.
read the original abstract
We study the plus-pure threshold (ppt) of hypersurfaces in mixed characteristic. We show that the ppt limits to the $F$-pure threshold (fpt) as we ramify the base DVR. Additionally, we show that analogs of some positive characteristic extremal singularities cannot attain the same `extremal' ppt values in the unramified setting. We also study equations which have controlled ramification when we adjoin their $p$-th roots as well as equations which admit $p$-th roots modulo $p^2$ (or modulo other values), bounding their ppts. In particular, given a complete unramified regular local ring of mixed characteristic $p>0$, $f^p + p^2 g$ does not define a perfectoid pure singularity for any $f$ and $g$. Finally, we compute bounds on the ppt of hypersurfaces related to elliptic curves. This gives examples where the ppt is neither the corresponding fpt in characteristic $p > 0$ nor the lct in characteristic zero. This also provides examples where $p$ times the ppt is not a jumping number, in stark contrast with the characteristic $p > 0$ picture.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript studies the plus-pure threshold (ppt) of hypersurfaces in mixed characteristic regular rings. It proves that the ppt converges to the F-pure threshold (fpt) as the base DVR is ramified. It provides bounds on the ppt for hypersurfaces with controlled ramification when adjoining p-th roots and for those admitting p-th roots modulo p^2. In particular, it shows that f^p + p^2 g does not define a perfectoid pure singularity in complete unramified regular local rings of mixed characteristic. It also gives bounds for hypersurfaces related to elliptic curves, yielding examples where the ppt is distinct from both the positive characteristic fpt and the characteristic zero lct, and where p times the ppt is not a jumping number.
Significance. If the central claims hold, the work introduces and bounds the plus-pure threshold as a mixed-characteristic singularity invariant, establishing its convergence to the fpt under ramification and supplying explicit examples (including elliptic-curve hypersurfaces) that separate it from both the fpt and the lct. The non-attainment result for f^p + p^2 g in the unramified setting and the observation that p·ppt need not be a jumping number are concrete contributions that could guide the development of test-ideal and perfectoid techniques in mixed characteristic.
major comments (2)
- [§4] §4, the limit statement: the argument that ppt approaches fpt under ramification of the base DVR assumes continuity of the underlying test-ideal construction, but the manuscript does not verify that regularity is preserved after adjoining p-th roots in the families considered (e.g., the elliptic-curve hypersurfaces).
- [Theorem 6.3] Theorem 6.3 (or the statement on f^p + p^2 g): the claim that such an equation never yields a perfectoid pure singularity in the unramified case is load-bearing for the non-attainment results; the proof sketch relies on the unramified hypothesis, yet the precise role of the p^2 coefficient versus higher powers is not compared with the ramified setting.
minor comments (3)
- [Introduction] The definition of the plus-pure threshold is introduced via a limit process; a short paragraph recalling the precise construction (test ideals or perfectoid analogs) at the first appearance would aid readers unfamiliar with the mixed-characteristic literature.
- [Notation] Notation for ramification index and the base DVR is used consistently but never tabulated; a small notation table or list of standing assumptions would improve readability.
- [Final section] The elliptic-curve examples in the final section are computed for specific Weierstrass models; stating the precise equations and the resulting ppt bounds in a table would make the contrast with fpt and lct easier to verify.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their careful reading and constructive comments on the manuscript. We address the major comments point by point below.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [§4] §4, the limit statement: the argument that ppt approaches fpt under ramification of the base DVR assumes continuity of the underlying test-ideal construction, but the manuscript does not verify that regularity is preserved after adjoining p-th roots in the families considered (e.g., the elliptic-curve hypersurfaces).
Authors: We agree that an explicit verification of regularity preservation would strengthen the continuity argument underlying the limit statement in §4. For the elliptic-curve hypersurfaces and similar families, the base ring is regular and the controlled ramification when adjoining p-th roots ensures the resulting ring remains regular (as the extension is finite and the singularity is isolated in a manner compatible with regularity). We will add a clarifying remark or short paragraph in §4 to verify this preservation explicitly for the families considered. revision: yes
-
Referee: [Theorem 6.3] Theorem 6.3 (or the statement on f^p + p^2 g): the claim that such an equation never yields a perfectoid pure singularity in the unramified case is load-bearing for the non-attainment results; the proof sketch relies on the unramified hypothesis, yet the precise role of the p^2 coefficient versus higher powers is not compared with the ramified setting.
Authors: The unramified hypothesis is indeed essential to the proof of Theorem 6.3, which relies on specific valuation and test-ideal properties in unramified regular local rings to show that f^p + p^2 g cannot define a perfectoid pure singularity. In the ramified setting the limit results of §4 show that the ppt approaches the fpt, allowing different behavior. We will expand the discussion of Theorem 6.3 to compare the role of the p^2 coefficient with higher powers (e.g., p^3 or above) and to contrast the unramified non-attainment with the ramified case. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity detected
full rationale
The paper's claims center on defining plus-pure thresholds via limit processes and test ideal constructions in mixed-characteristic regular rings, then proving that these limits recover the F-pure threshold under ramification of the base DVR, along with explicit bounds for hypersurfaces such as f^p + p^2 g and those tied to elliptic curves. These steps rely on independent ring-theoretic definitions and continuity properties under ramification, without any reduction of a derived quantity to a fitted parameter or self-referential input by construction. No self-citation is shown to be load-bearing for the central results, and the derivations remain self-contained against external algebraic benchmarks rather than renaming or smuggling ansatzes from prior author work.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- domain assumption The base ring is a complete regular local ring in mixed characteristic p>0
- domain assumption The plus-pure threshold is defined so that it varies continuously under ramification of the DVR
invented entities (1)
-
plus-pure threshold
no independent evidence
Lean theorems connected to this paper
-
IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/RealityFromDistinctionreality_from_one_distinction unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
Theorem A (Corollary 3.2, Corollary 3.4). ... lim e→∞ ppt(f ∈ V[ϖ^{1/p^e}]Jx2,...,xnK) = fpt(f ∈ V/(ϖ)Jx2,...,xnK)
-
IndisputableMonolith/Cost/FunctionalEquationwashburn_uniqueness_aczel unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
We also study equations which have controlled ramification when we adjoin their p-th roots ... f^p + p^2 g does not define a perfectoid pure singularity
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
Bhatt : Cohen- M acaulayness of absolute integral closures , arXiv:2008.08070
B. Bhatt : Cohen- M acaulayness of absolute integral closures , arXiv:2008.08070
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]
-
[5]
B. Bhatt and P. Scholze : Prisms and prismatic cohomology, Ann. of Math. (2) 196 (2022), no. 3, 1135--1275. 4502597
work page 2022
-
[6]
B. Bhatt and A. K. Singh : The F -pure threshold of a C alabi- Y au hypersurface , Math. Ann. 362 (2015), no. 1-2, 551--567. 3343889
work page 2015
-
[7]
M. Blickle, M. Musta t a , and K. E. Smith : Discreteness and rationality of F -thresholds , Michigan Math. J. 57 (2008), 43--61, Special volume in honor of Melvin Hochster. 2492440 (2010c:13003)
work page 2008
- [8]
- [9]
- [10]
-
[11]
R. Cheng : Geometry of q-bic H ypersurfaces , ProQuest LLC, Ann Arbor, MI, 2022, Thesis (Ph.D.)--Columbia University. 4435221
work page 2022
-
[12]
R. Cheng : q -bic forms , J. Algebra 675 (2025), 196--236. 4891549
work page 2025
-
[13]
Cheng : q -bic hypersurfaces and their F ano schemes , Pure Appl
R. Cheng : q -bic hypersurfaces and their F ano schemes , Pure Appl. Math. Q. 21 (2025), no. 4, 1721--1773. 4886033
work page 2025
- [14]
-
[15]
N. Hara and K.-I. Yoshida : A generalization of tight closure and multiplier ideals, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 355 (2003), no. 8, 3143--3174 (electronic). MR1974679 (2004i:13003)
work page 2003
-
[16]
D. J. Hern\' a ndez : F -invariants of diagonal hypersurfaces , Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 143 (2015), no. 1, 87--104. 3272734
work page 2015
-
[17]
Z. Kadyrsizova, J. Kenkel, J. Page, J. Singh, K. E. Smith, A. Vraciu, and E. E. Witt : Lower bounds on the F -pure threshold and extremal singularities , Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. Ser. B 9 (2022), 977--1005. 4498775
work page 2022
-
[18]
Z. Kadyrsizova, J. Page, J. Singh, K. E. Smith, A. Vraciu, and E. E. Witt : Classification of F robenius forms in five variables , Women in commutative algebra, Assoc. Women Math. Ser., vol. 29, Springer, Cham, [2021] 2021, pp. 353--367. 4428299
work page 2021
-
[19]
D. Katz and P. Sridhar : On abelian extensions in mixed characteristic and ramification in codimension one, International Mathematics Research Notices 2025 (2025), no. 11, rnaf153
work page 2025
-
[20]
Koll \'a r : Singularities of pairs, Algebraic geometry---Santa Cruz 1995, Proc
J. Koll \'a r : Singularities of pairs, Algebraic geometry---Santa Cruz 1995, Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., vol. 62, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1997, pp. 221--287. MR1492525 (99m:14033)
work page 1995
-
[21]
E. E. Kummer : \"uber die E rg\"anzungss\"atze zu den allgemeinen R eciprocit\"atsgesetzen , J. Reine Angew. Math. 44 (1852), 93--146. 1578793
-
[22]
Lang : Algebra, third ed., Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol
S. Lang : Algebra, third ed., Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 211, Springer-Verlag, New York, 2002. 1878556
work page 2002
-
[23]
Lazarsfeld : Positivity in algebraic geometry
R. Lazarsfeld : Positivity in algebraic geometry. II , Ergebnisse der Mathematik und ihrer Grenzgebiete. 3. Folge. A Series of Modern Surveys in Mathematics [Results in Mathematics and Related Areas. 3rd Series. A Series of Modern Surveys in Mathematics], vol. 49, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2004, Positivity for vector bundles, and multiplier ideals. MR20954...
work page 2004
-
[24]
Lucas : Theorie des F onctions N umeriques S implement P eriodiques , Amer
E. Lucas : Theorie des F onctions N umeriques S implement P eriodiques , Amer. J. Math. 1 (1878), no. 4, 289--321. 1505176
- [25]
-
[26]
L. Ma, K. Schwede, K. Tucker, J. Waldron, and J. Witaszek : An analogue of adjoint ideals and PLT singularities in mixed characteristic , J. Algebraic Geom. 31 (2022), no. 3, 497--559. 4484548
work page 2022
-
[27]
M. Musta t a , S. Takagi, and K.-i. Watanabe : F-thresholds and B ernstein- S ato polynomials , European Congress of Mathematics, Eur. Math. Soc., Z\"urich, 2005, pp. 341--364. MR2185754 (2007b:13010)
work page 2005
-
[28]
Rodr\'iguez-Villalobos : B CM -thresholds of hypersurfaces , J
S. Rodr\'iguez-Villalobos : B CM -thresholds of hypersurfaces , J. Algebra 669 (2025), 341--352. 4864836
work page 2025
-
[29]
K. Schwede and K. E. Smith : Globally F -regular and log F ano varieties , Adv. Math. 224 (2010), no. 3, 863--894. 2628797 (2011e:14076)
work page 2010
-
[30]
K. E. Smith and A. Vraciu : Values of the F -pure threshold for homogeneous polynomials , J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 108 (2023), no. 3, 1004--1035. 4639945
work page 2023
-
[31]
S. Takagi and K.-i. Watanabe : On F -pure thresholds , J. Algebra 282 (2004), no. 1, 278--297. MR2097584 (2006a:13010)
work page 2004
-
[32]
T. Takamatsu and S. Yoshikawa : Minimal model program for semi-stable threefolds in mixed characteristic, arXiv:2012.07324, to appear in the Journal of Algebraic Geometry
-
[33]
S. Yoshikawa : Computation method for perfectoid purity and perfectoid BCM -regularity , arXiv:2502.06108
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.