The structure of valuation rings (Q798378)

This is an expository-research paper on valuation rings of general commutative rings. The modern era dates from the paper of \textit{M. E. Manis} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 20, 193-198 (1969; Zbl 0179.342)]. [The book by \textit{M. D. Larsen} and \textit{P. J. McCarthy}, ''Multiplication theory of ideals'' (1971; Zbl 0237.13002) is a well-written introduction.] The work of M. Griffin and N. Eggert are summarized, particularly, the results on Prüfer rings, or rings in which every finitely generated regular ideal is invertible in the classical quotient ring \(Q_ c(R)\). This happens iff every overring of R in \(Q_ c(R)\) is flat, which generalizes the characterization of Prüfer domains of \textit{F. Richman} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 16, 794-799 (1965; Zbl 0145.274)]. A contribution here characterizes a commutative FPF ring R as a Prüfer ring with injective \(Q_ c(R)\). The proof uses the author's characterization of a commutative FPF ring by: (FPF 1) \(Q_ c(R)\) injective, and (FPF 2) finitely generated faithful ideals projective [cf. Injective Modules and Injective Quotient Rings, Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math. 72, 71-105 (1982; see Zbl 0546.13006)]. Another contribution states that any local FPF ring R is a (Manis) valuation ring for \(Q_ c(R)\). The converse for a local valuation ring R with self-injective \(Q_ c(R)\) is proved in an appendix. The author generalizes Krull's criterion for integrally closed domains. Say that a subring A of a ring K ''conches'' an element x in K if x is a unit of K with \(x^{-1}\in A\) and A is maximal with respect to excluding x. If K is a field, then A is a chain ring \((=\) a ring with linearly ordered ideal lattice) and Krull proved that any integrally closed subring R of a field K is the intersection of conch subrings. - In this paper the author generalizes Krull's theorem to an integrally closed subring R of a von Neumann regular ring Q independently of Griffin's intersection theorem. Thus, R is the intersection of conch subrings of Q. (Similarly if R is a ring with few divisors of zero in Griffin's sense.) Then, when Q is self- injective, it is shown that the conch subrings are FPF, so R is an FPF conch intersection in this case. A conch subring A of a ring K is characterized by the condition that A is a valuation subring of K with valuation prime ideal \(P=\sqrt{x^{-1}A}\) for a unit x of K. (Via Manis' theorem it is equivalent to say that \((A,\sqrt{x^{-1}A})\) is a maximal pair of K.) In particular, not every valuation ring, not even a chain domain, can aspire to be a conch subring. - A number of other results on FPF and conch rings are proved, and several are merely stated. A sequel [part II, ibid. (to appear; see the review below)] supplies the proofs, and considerably sharpens the results of {\S} 11. In particular, in ''II'' the author characterizes a valued ring, that is, a ring Q with a valuation v, by the existence of a prime ideal P and a zero-valued denominator set S for the quotient field \(K=Q_ c(Q')\) of \(Q'=Q\backslash P\). Thus, \(K=\{q's^{-1}| q'\in Q,\quad s\in S\},\) and \(w(s)=0\) for all \(s\in S\), where w is the extension of K of the induced valuation v' of Q'. In particular, the associated valuation domain W of v \((=\) the valuation ring of w) is the local ring \(A'_{p'}\). - Part II lists a number of typos.