Fair-sized projective modules. (Q991585)

The main object of the paper is the study of infinitely generated modules over a ring, especially in the case in which these modules are not direct sums of finitely generated modules. Since by a well-known theorem of Kaplansky, any projective module is a direct sum of countably generated modules, this study reduces to the case of countably generated projectives. Then, if \(P\) is a countably generated projective right \(R\)-module, \(P\) is a direct summand of a countably generated free module, say, \(P\oplus P'=R^{(\mathbb{N})}\). The canonical projection from \(R^{(\mathbb{N})}\) to \(P\) determines an idempotent column-finite \(\mathbb{N}\times\mathbb{N}\) matrix \(A\) over \(R\). This matrix, in turn, defines a descending chain of ideals \(I_1\supseteq I_2\supseteq\cdots I_n\supseteq\cdots\), where \(I_n\) is the ideal of \(R\) generated by the entries of \(A\) which are below the \(n\)-th row. It is shown in the paper that if \(R\) is (left and right) Noetherian and this sequence of ideals terminates at an ideal \(I\), then \(P\) contains as a direct summand any countably generated projective module whose trace ideal is contained in \(I\). The author then considers the following condition that ensures that any such sequence of ideals terminates: (*) If \(I_1,I_2,\dots\) is a sequence of ideals such that \(I_{k+1}I_k=I_{k+1}\) for any \(k\geq 1\), then there exists \(n\) such that \(I_n=I_{n+1}=\cdots\). It is then shown that if \(R\) is a Noetherian ring satisfying (*), then the theory of projective modules ``reduces'' to the theory of idempotent ideals in \(R\) and the theory of finitely generated projective modules over the factor rings of \(R\) modulo idempotent ideals. The rest of the paper is devoted to examples and applications. It is proved that (*) holds for semilocal Noetherian rings, integral group rings of a finite group, and universal enveloping algebras of finite dimensional solvable Lie algebras over a field of characteristic zero. Using these results, the author is able to prove, among other things, that there exists a semilocal Noetherian ring with superdecomposable projective modules, and that indecomposable projective modules over integral group rings of finite groups are finitely generated, the latter result solving a problem in ``The Kourovka Notebook'' (2002; Zbl 0999.20002).