Linear identities in group rings. I (Q5920954)

In 1949, \textit{I. Kaplansky} [Can. J. Math. 1, 105--112 (1949; Zbl 0037.01603)] initiated the algebraic study of group rings by showing that if a group \(G\) has an abelian subgroup \(A\) of finite index \(n\), then the group ring \(K[G]\) satisfies a polynomial identity of degree \(n^2 +1\). Twelve years later in 1961, \textit{S. A. Amitsur} [Ill. J. Math. 5, 198--205 (1961; Zbl 0100.25704)] sharpened the above result to get a polynomial identity of degree \(2n\) and then he proved a partial converse. He showed that if \(K\) is a field of characteristic \(0\) and if \(K[G]\) satisfies a polynomial identity of degree \(\le 4\) then \(G\) has an abelian subgroup \(A\) with \([G : A] \le 4\). The characteristic \(0\) case was completed by \textit{I. M. Isaacs} and \textit{D. S. Passman} [Pac. J. Math. 15, 877--903 (1965; Zbl 0132.01902)] in 1965 and they showed that if \(K[G]\) satisfies a polynomial identity of degree \(n\), then \(G\) has an abelian subgroup \(A\) with \([G : A] \le J(n)\). Here \(J\) is, in fact, the function associated with Jordan's theorem on finite complex linear groups. The first results in characteristic \(p\) were obtained by Martha Smith in her recent thesis [University of Chicago 1970]. She showed, for example, that if \(K[G]\) is prime and satisfies a polynomial identity of degree \(n\), then \(G\) has an abelian subgroup \(A\) with \([G : A] >(n/2)^2\) and she also made the following crucial observation. Let \(\Delta(G)\) denote the F. C. subgroup of \(G\), that is \(\Delta(G)\) is the set of all elements of \(G\) having only finitely many conjugates. If \(A\) is an abelian subgroup of \(G\) of finite index, then clearly \(A\subseteq \Delta(G)\) and hence \(\Delta(G)\) has finite index. Thus she observed that a first step in finding such an abelian subgroup \(A\) is to show that \([G : \Delta(G)] < \infty\). The main result of this paper is: Theorem. If \(K[G]\) satisfies a polynomial identity of degree \(n\), then \([G:\Delta(G)] \le n!\). If, in addition, \(K[G]\) is semiprime, then \(G\) has an abelian subgroup \(A\) with \([G : A] \le n! J(n)\). Finally, an example is offered to show that if \(K[G]\) is not semiprime, then \(G\) need not have an abelian subgroup of finite index.