On a generalization of Albert's theorem (Q1813680): Difference between revisions

The author investigates possible generalizations of Albert's theorem that in an ordered division ring any element algebraic over its center is central. In this theorem the center cannot be replaced by any maximal subfield -- the author constructs a division ring \(D\) with a maximal subfield \(K\) and an element \(x\in D\setminus K\) that is algebraic over \(K\). In a second approach he poses the following question: Let \(K\) be a maximal subfield of an ordered division ring \(D\). If \(D\) is algebraic over \(K\), does it imply \(K=D\)? The author uses a valuation theoretic approach, that is he assumes that \(D\) has a valuation compatible with its ordering which enables him to reduce part of the problem to the residue fields. Let \((D,P)\) be an ordered division ring, which is algebraic over a maximal subfield \(K\) and \(\varphi: D\to\Gamma \cup \{\infty\}\) a valuation compatible with \(P\). He proves that \(\varphi(D^*)=\varphi(K^*)\) (so in particular \(\Gamma\) is abelian) and the residue field \(\overline{D}_ \varphi\) is algebraic over \(\overline{K}_ \varphi\). If \(\overline{D}_ \varphi\) is a field, then \(\overline{D}_ \varphi=\overline {K}_ \varphi\) (Proposition 3.1). Together with some other results this leads to Theorem 3.4: If \(\Gamma\) is order isomorphic to a \((\Gamma_ \alpha,Q_ \alpha)\) for some ordinal \(\alpha\) and if \(\overline{D}_ \varphi\) is a field, then \(D\) is a field. In section 4 the author considers the case when \(K\) is a real closed subfield of \(D\). In that case he proves that if there exist \(a_ 1,\dots,a_ n\in K\) such that \(\{y\in D\mid\) \(ya_ i=a_ iy\), \(1\leq i\leq n\}=K\), then \(D=K\) (Theorem 4.6). As a corollary he gets that the transcendence degree of \(K/Z(D)\) is finite iff \(D\) is a field. In the final section the author disposes of the assumption that \(D\) is algebraic over a maximal subfield. He looks at the division ring \(D[i]\) and proves that \(Z(D)[i]\) is algebraically closed in \(D[i]\) (Theorem 5.2).