Notes on a class of ideals in intermediate rings of continuous functions (Q2196443)

Let \(X\) be a Tychonoff space. Let \(C(X)\) be the ring of all real valued continuous functions on \(X\) and \(C^*(X)\) be the family of those members of \(C(X)\) which are bounded on \(X\). An intermediate ring \(A(X)\) is a subring of \(C(X)\) containing \(C^*(X)\). For \(f\in C(X)\), \(Z(f)=\{x\in X:f(x)=0\}\) is called a zero set of \(f\). A subset \(E\) of \(X\) is called a zero set if \(E=Z(f)\), for some \(f\in C(X)\). Let \(Z[X]\) be the set of all zero sets in \(X\). The main aim of this paper is to study the \(z^\circ\)-ideals of \(A(X)\). An ideal \(I\) of a commutative ring \(R\) with unity is called \(z^\circ\)-ideal if for any \(a\in I\), \(P_a\subseteq I\), where \(P_a\) is the intersection of all minimal prime ideals of \(R\) containing \(a\). The author investigates relations between the \(z^\circ\)-ideals and other kinds of ideals in \(A(X)\). Finally the author answers the following two questions raised in [\textit{S. Bag} et al., Appl. Gen. Topol. 20, No. 1, 109--117 (2019; Zbl 1429.54024)] related to \(z^\circ\)-ideals in \(A(X)\). Question 1: Is \(O^p_A\), \(p\in\beta X\) necessarily a \(z^\circ\)-ideal of \(A(X)\)? For \(f\in A(X)\), \(\mathcal{Z}_A(f)=\{Z\in Z[X]:\exists g\in A(X)\text{ such that }fg\vert_{X-E}=1\}\) and \(h\mathcal{Z}_A(f)\) is the hull of the \(z\)-filter \(\mathcal{Z}_A(f)\). \(O^p_A=\{f\in A(X):p\in int_{\beta X}h\mathcal{Z}_A(f)\}\), for each \(p\in \beta X\). \(\beta X\) is the Stone-Čech Compactification of \(X\). Question 2: If \(A(X)\) is a proper intermediate subring of \(C(X)\), then what is the least cardinal number of the set of all free maximal ideals of \(A(X)\), which are not \(z^\circ\)-ideals? Here it is proved that the answer to Question 1 is in the affirmative. To answer the second question, the author gives an example of an intermediate ring \(A(X)\) containing exactly one free maximal ideal which is not a \(z^\circ\)-ideal. Therefore the least cardinal number of the set of all free maximal ideals of an intermediate ring which are not \(z^\circ\)-ideals is 1. Also, it is proved that for a non-pseudocompact space \(X\), \(C^*(X)\) contains at least \(2^c\) many ideals which are not \(z^\circ\)-ideals.