Conormal Geometry of Maximal Minors

Let A be a Noetherian local domain, N be a finitely generated torsion- free module, and M a proper submodule that is generically equal to N. Let A[N] be an arbitrary graded overdomain of A generated as an A-algebra by N placed in degree 1. Let A[M] be the subalgebra generated by M. Set C:=Proj(A[M]) and r:=dim C. Form the (closed) subset W of Spec(A) of primes p where A[N]_p is not a finitely generated module over A[M]_p, and denote the preimage of W in C by E. We prove this: (1) dim E=r-1 if either (a) N is free and A[N] is the symmetric algebra, or (b) W is nonempty and A is universally catenary, and (2) E is equidimensional if (a) holds and A is universally catenary. Our proof was inspired by some recent work of Gaffney and Massey, which we sketch; they proved (2) when A is the ring of germs of a complex- analytic variety, and applied it to perfect a characterization of Thom's A_f-condition in equisingularity theory. From (1), we recover, with new proofs, the usual height inequality for maximal minors and an extension of it obtained by the authors in 1992. From the latter, we recover the authors' generalization to modules of B"oger's criterion for integral dependence of ideals. Finally, we introduce an application of (1), being made by the second author, to the geometry of the dual variety of a projective variety, and use it to obtain an interesting example where the conclusion of (1) fails and A[N] is a finitely generated module over A[M].