Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 July 2012
We show that the Hilbert scheme, that parameterizes all ideals with the same Hilbert function over a Clements–Lindström ring W, is connected. More precisely, we prove that every graded ideal is connected by a sequence of deformations to the lex-plus-powers ideal with the same Hilbert function. This is an analogue of Hartshorne’s theorem that Grothendieck’s Hilbert scheme is connected. We also prove a conjecture by Gasharov, Hibi, and Peeva that the lex ideal attains maximal Betti numbers among all graded ideals in W with a fixed Hilbert function.