Noetherian rings whose modules are prime serial (Q513790)

Let \(R\) be an associative unitary ring. A left \(R\)-module \(M\) is to be \textit{prime} if each of its non-zero submodules has the same annihilitor than \(M\). A submodule \(N\) of an \(R\)-module \(M\) is said to be \textit{prime} if \(M/N\) is prime. The authors define an \(R\)-module \(M\) to be \textit{prime uniserial} if its set of prime submodules is totally ordered by inclusion, and to be \textit{prime serial} if it a direct sum of prime uniserial modules. The following questions are studied: which rings have the property that every (finitely generated) module is prime serial? Some partial responses are given. When \(R\) is a left Artinian ring such that each idempotent is central, it is shown that each left \(R\)-module is prime uniserial if and only if \(R\) is a left Köthe ring, i.e. each left \(R\)-module is a direct sum of cyclic modules. And when \(R\) is left Noetherian such that each idempotent is central, it is proven that each finitely generated \(R\)-module is prime serial if and only if \(R\) is a finite product of local rings which are either Artinian principal ideal rings or left Köthe rings with a maximal ideal of square \(0\) or principal domains.