Lech's conjecture in dimension three

Abstract: Let $(R,m)\to (S,n)$ be a flat local extension of local rings. Lech conjectured in 1960 that there should be a general inequality $e(R)\leq e(S)$ on the Hilbert-Samuel multiplicities. This conjecture is known when the base ring $R$ has dimension less than or equal to two, and remains open in higher dimensions. In this paper, we prove Lech's conjecture in dimension three when $R$ has equal characteristic. In higher dimension, our method yields substantial partial estimate: $e(R)\leq (d!/2^d)\cdot e(S)$ where $d=\dim R\geq 4$, in equal characteristic.