On the image of a noncommutative polynomial. (Q371415)

Let \(F\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, and consider the free algebra \(\mathcal A=\mathbb C\langle x_1,x_2,\ldots\rangle\) of noncommutative polynomials. Given \(n\in\mathbb N\) the author of the paper under review studies the images \(\text{im}(f)=\{f(a_1,a_2,\ldots)\mid a_j\in M_n(F)\}\) of noncommutative polynomials \(f\in\mathcal A\). The article contains several interesting results. For example, it is proved that the image of a polynomial \(f\) on \(M_n(F)\) has finitely many similarity orbits modulo nonzero scalar multiplication iff \(f\) is power-central (Theorem 1.1). In Theorem 1.2 the author shows that a standard Zariski open set \(U\) in \(M_n(F)=F^{n^2}\), i.e., one of the form \(U=\{u\in F^{n^2}\mid p(u)\neq 0\}\) for some commutative polynomial \(p\), is together with \(\{0\}\) always the image of a noncommutative polynomial. Finally, the paper's results bear on the Kaplansky-Lvov conjecture on the images of noncommutative polynomials and establish the conjecture in the very special case of low degree Lie polynomials. This impressive article is well-written and contains a careful selection of illustrative examples.