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The Stacks project

15.27 Completion and flatness

In this section we discuss when the completion of a “big” flat module is flat.

Lemma 15.27.1. Let R be a ring. Let I \subset R be an ideal. Let A be a set. Assume R is Noetherian and complete with respect to I. There is a canonical map

\left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge \longrightarrow \prod \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R

from the I-adic completion of the direct sum into the product which is universally injective.

Proof. By definition an element x of the left hand side is x = (x_ n) where x_ n = (x_{n, \alpha }) \in \bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R/I^ n such that x_{n, \alpha } = x_{n + 1, \alpha } \bmod I^ n. As R = R^\wedge we see that for any \alpha there exists a y_\alpha \in R such that x_{n, \alpha } = y_\alpha \bmod I^ n. Note that for each n there are only finitely many \alpha such that the elements x_{n, \alpha } are nonzero. Conversely, given (y_\alpha ) \in \prod _\alpha R such that for each n there are only finitely many \alpha such that y_{\alpha } \bmod I^ n is nonzero, then this defines an element of the left hand side. Hence we can think of an element of the left hand side as infinite “convergent sums” \sum _\alpha y_\alpha with y_\alpha \in R such that for each n there are only finitely many y_\alpha which are nonzero modulo I^ n. The displayed map maps this element to the element to (y_\alpha ) in the product. In particular the map is injective.

Let Q be a finite R-module. We have to show that the map

Q \otimes _ R \left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge \longrightarrow Q \otimes _ R \left(\prod \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)

is injective, see Algebra, Theorem 10.82.3. Choose a presentation R^{\oplus k} \to R^{\oplus m} \to Q \to 0 and denote q_1, \ldots , q_ m \in Q the corresponding generators for Q. By Artin-Rees (Algebra, Lemma 10.51.2) there exists a constant c such that \mathop{\mathrm{Im}}(R^{\oplus k} \to R^{\oplus m}) \cap (I^ N)^{\oplus m} \subset \mathop{\mathrm{Im}}((I^{N - c})^{\oplus k} \to R^{\oplus m}). Let us contemplate the diagram

\xymatrix{ \bigoplus _{l = 1}^ k \left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge \ar[r] \ar[d] & \bigoplus _{j = 1}^ m \left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge \ar[r] \ar[d] & Q \otimes _ R \left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge \ar[r] \ar[d] & 0 \\ \bigoplus _{l = 1}^ k \left(\prod \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right) \ar[r] & \bigoplus _{j = 1}^ m \left(\prod \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right) \ar[r] & Q \otimes _ R \left(\prod \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right) \ar[r] & 0 }

with exact rows. Pick an element \sum _ j \sum _\alpha y_{j, \alpha } of \bigoplus _{j = 1, \ldots , m} \left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge . If this element maps to zero in the module Q \otimes _ R \left(\prod \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right), then we see in particular that \sum _ j q_ j \otimes y_{j, \alpha } = 0 in Q for each \alpha . Thus we can find an element (z_{1, \alpha }, \ldots , z_{k, \alpha }) \in \bigoplus _{l = 1, \ldots , k} R which maps to (y_{1, \alpha }, \ldots , y_{m, \alpha }) \in \bigoplus _{j = 1, \ldots , m} R. Moreover, if y_{j, \alpha } \in I^{N_\alpha } for j = 1, \ldots , m, then we may assume that z_{l, \alpha } \in I^{N_\alpha - c} for l = 1, \ldots , k. Hence the sum \sum _ l \sum _\alpha z_{l, \alpha } is “convergent” and defines an element of \bigoplus _{l = 1, \ldots , k} \left(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R\right)^\wedge which maps to the element \sum _ j \sum _\alpha y_{j, \alpha } we started out with. Thus the right vertical arrow is injective and we win. \square

The following lemma can also be deduced from Lemma 15.27.4 below.

Lemma 15.27.2. Let R be a ring. Let I \subset R be an ideal. Let A be a set. Assume R is Noetherian. The completion (\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R)^\wedge is a flat R-module.

Proof. Denote R^\wedge the completion of R with respect to I. As R \to R^\wedge is flat by Algebra, Lemma 10.97.2 it suffices to prove that (\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R)^\wedge is a flat R^\wedge -module (use Algebra, Lemma 10.39.4). Since

(\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R)^\wedge = (\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R^\wedge )^\wedge

we may replace R by R^\wedge and assume that R is complete with respect to I (see Algebra, Lemma 10.97.4). In this case Lemma 15.27.1 tells us the map (\bigoplus \nolimits _{\alpha \in A} R)^\wedge \to \prod _{\alpha \in A} R is universally injective. Thus, by Algebra, Lemma 10.82.7 it suffices to show that \prod _{\alpha \in A} R is flat. By Algebra, Proposition 10.90.6 (and Algebra, Lemma 10.90.5) we see that \prod _{\alpha \in A} R is flat. \square

Lemma 15.27.3.reference Let A be a Noetherian ring. Let I be an ideal of A. Let M be a finite A-module. For every p > 0 there exists a c > 0 such that \text{Tor}_ p^ A(M, A/I^ n) \to \text{Tor}_ p^ A(M, A/I^{n - c}) is zero for all n \geq c.

Proof. Proof for p = 1. Choose a short exact sequence 0 \to K \to A^{\oplus t} \to M \to 0. Then \text{Tor}_1^ A(M, A/I^ n) = K \cap (I^ n)^{\oplus t}/I^ nK. By Artin-Rees (Algebra, Lemma 10.51.2) there is a constant c \geq 0 such that K \cap (I^ n)^{\oplus t} \subset I^{n - c}K for n \geq c. Thus the result for p = 1. For p > 1 we have \text{Tor}_ p^ A(M, A/I^ n) = \text{Tor}^ A_{p - 1}(K, A/I^ n). Thus the lemma follows by induction. \square

Lemma 15.27.4. Let A be a Noetherian ring. Let I be an ideal of A. Let (M_ n) be an inverse system of A-modules such that

  1. M_ n is a flat A/I^ n-module,

  2. M_{n + 1} \to M_ n is surjective.

Then M = \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits M_ n is a flat A-module and Q \otimes _ A M = \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits Q \otimes _ A M_ n for every finite A-module Q.

Proof. We first show that Q \otimes _ A M = \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits Q \otimes _ A M_ n for every finite A-module Q. Choose a resolution F_2 \to F_1 \to F_0 \to Q \to 0 by finite free A-modules F_ i. Then

F_2 \otimes _ A M_ n \to F_1 \otimes _ A M_ n \to F_0 \otimes _ A M_ n

is a chain complex whose homology in degree 0 is Q \otimes _ A M_ n and whose homology in degree 1 is

\text{Tor}_1^ A(Q, M_ n) = \text{Tor}_1^ A(Q, A/I^ n) \otimes _{A/I^ n} M_ n

as M_ n is flat over A/I^ n. By Lemma 15.27.3 we see that this system is essentially constant (with value 0). It follows from Homology, Lemma 12.31.7 that \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits Q \otimes _ A M_ n = \mathop{\mathrm{Coker}}(\mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits F_1 \otimes _ A M_ n \to \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits F_0 \otimes _ A M_ n). Since F_ i is finite free this equals \mathop{\mathrm{Coker}}(F_1 \otimes _ A M \to F_0 \otimes _ A M) = Q \otimes _ A M.

Next, let Q \to Q' be an injective map of finite A-modules. We have to show that Q \otimes _ A M \to Q' \otimes _ A M is injective (Algebra, Lemma 10.39.5). By the above we see

\mathop{\mathrm{Ker}}(Q \otimes _ A M \to Q' \otimes _ A M) = \mathop{\mathrm{Ker}}(\mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits Q \otimes _ A M_ n \to \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits Q' \otimes _ A M_ n).

For each n we have an exact sequence

\text{Tor}_1^ A(Q', M_ n) \to \text{Tor}_1^ A(Q'', M_ n) \to Q \otimes _ A M_ n \to Q' \otimes _ A M_ n

where Q'' = \mathop{\mathrm{Coker}}(Q \to Q'). Above we have seen that the inverse systems of Tor's are essentially constant with value 0. It follows from Homology, Lemma 12.31.7 that the inverse limit of the right most maps is injective. \square

Lemma 15.27.5. Let R be a ring. Let I \subset R be an ideal. Let M be an R-module. Assume

  1. I is finitely generated,

  2. R/I is Noetherian,

  3. M/IM is flat over R/I,

  4. \text{Tor}_1^ R(M, R/I) = 0.

Then the I-adic completion R^\wedge is a Noetherian ring and M^\wedge is flat over R^\wedge .

Proof. By Algebra, Lemma 10.99.8 the modules M/I^ nM are flat over R/I^ n for all n. By Algebra, Lemma 10.96.3 we have (a) R^\wedge and M^\wedge are I-adically complete and (b) R/I^ n = R^\wedge /I^ nR^\wedge for all n. By Algebra, Lemma 10.97.5 the ring R^\wedge is Noetherian. Applying Lemma 15.27.4 we conclude that M^\wedge = \mathop{\mathrm{lim}}\nolimits M/I^ nM is flat as an R^\wedge -module. \square


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