Notes on noncommutative fitting invariants (with an appendix by Henri Johnston and Andreas Nickel) (Q2042493)

Let \(R\) be a commutative unitary ring and \(M\) be a finitely presented \(R\)-module. To each finitely presented module \(M\) over a commutative ring \(R\) one can associate an \(R\)-ideal \(\mathrm{Fitt}_R(M)\), which is called the (zeroth) Fitting ideal of \(M\) over \(R\). Fitting ideals have been an important tool in commutative algebra. A key property is that the Fitting ideal of \(M\) is always contained in the \(R\)-annihilator ideal of \(M\), but in many cases is much easier to compute. For instance, it behaves well under epimorphisms, certain exact sequences, and direct sums of \(R\)-modules: if \(M\) and \(N\) are two finitely presented \(R\)-modules, then we have the equality \(\mathrm{Fitt}_R(M\oplus N)=\mathrm{Fitt}_R(M)\cdot \mathrm{Fitt}_R(N)\). Fitting ideals have many applications in number theory. For instance, If \(L/K\) is a finite Galois extension of number fields with Galois group \(G\), then the class group \(\mathrm{cl}_L\) of \(L\) has a natural structure as a module over the group ring \(\mathbb{Z}[G]\). If \(p\) is a prime then the \(p\)-part \(\mathbb{Z}_p\otimes_{\mathbb Z} \mathrm{cl}_L\) of the class group is a module over the \(p\)-adic group ring \(\mathbb{Z}_p[G]\). Now assume that \(p\) is odd and that \(L/K\) is a CM-extension. If \(G\) is abelian, then \textit{C. Greither} [Compos. Math. 143, No. 6, 1399--1426 (2007; Zbl 1135.11059)] has computed the Fitting ideal of the Pontryagin dual of the minus part of \(\mathbb{Z}_p\otimes_{{\mathbb Z}} \mathrm{cl}_L\) via the equivariant Tamagawa number conjecture. Fitting ideals also appear in Iwasawa theory. The formulation and the proof of the (classical) main conjecture for totally real fields by \textit{A. Wiles} [Ann. Math. (2) 131, No. 3, 493--540 (1990; Zbl 0719.11071)] makes heavy use of the close relation between characteristic ideals and Fitting ideals of Iwasawa modules. Fitting ideals of arithmetic objects are also interesting in their own right. \textit{M. Kurihara} and \textit{T. Miura} [Math. Ann. 350, No. 3, 549--575 (2011; Zbl 1235.11099)] showed that (away from the 2-primary part) the Fitting ideal of the minus class group of an absolutely abelian imaginary number field coincides with the Stickelberger ideal. This gives the precise arithmetical interpretation of the latter ideal. More recently, Fitting ideas have been extended to that of so-called `Fitting invariants' over certain non-commutative background; the present authors consider the case in which \(R\) is an \(\mathfrak{o}\)-order \(\Lambda\) in a finite dimensional separable algebra, where \(\mathfrak{o}\) is an integrally closed commutative noetherian complete local domain. This article is a survey of known results and open problems in this context. In particular, he investigate the behaviour of Fitting invariants under direct sums. In the appendix, they present a new approach to Fitting invariants via Morita equivalence. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1462.11006].