Completions and maximal quotient rings over regular rings (Q914795)

The main aim of this paper is to compare the maximal right quotient ring Q of a (von Neumann) regular ring R with the completion \(\bar R\) of R with respect to a rank function N. In case sup\(\{\) N(x)\(|\) \(x\in I\}=1\) for all essential right ideals I of R, the reviewer showed that Q embeds in \(\bar R\) [Von Neumann regular rings (1979; Zbl 0411.16007); Theorem 21.17]. Here the author proves, under the same hypothesis that \(\bar R\) equals the maximal left quotient ring of Q. That \(\bar R\) need not equal Q is shown by an example of \textit{H. Kambara} [Proc. 20th Symp. Ring Theory, Okayama 1987, 141-145 (1987; Zbl 0635.16010), On existence of directly finite, only one-sided self-injective regular rings, J. Algebra (to appear)]. A criterion for Q to equal \(\bar R\) was found by \textit{A. Vogel}: this occurs if and only if \[ \sup \{N(x)+N(y)| \quad x\in J\text{ and } y\in r.ann_ R(J)\}=1 \] for all left ideals J of R [Commun. Algebra 12, 1787-1794 (1984; Zbl 0539.16009)].