Chains of intermediate ideals in matrix near-rings (Q1337755)

Matrix near-rings were defined by \textit{J. D. P. Meldrum} and \textit{A. P. J. van der Walt} [Arch. Math. 47, 312-319 (1986; Zbl 0611.16024)]. Let \(R\) be a right near-ring with unity, and let \(n\in\mathbb{N}\) be fixed. For \(x\in R\), \(1\leq i,j\leq n\), let \(f^ x_{ij}\colon R^ n\to R^ n\) be defined by \(f^ x_{ij}(r_ 1,\dots,r_ n) = xr_ jE_ i\) (where \(aE_ i\) has \(a\) in the \(i\)-th position, and zeroes elsewhere). The matrix near-ring \(M_ n(R)\) is the subnear-ring of \(M(R^ n)\) generated by the \(f^ x_{ij}\)'s. If \(A\) is an ideal of \(R\), \(A^ +:=\text{id}\{f^ a_{ij}\mid a\in A,\;1\leq i,j \leq n\}\) and \(A^*:=\{U\in M_ n(R)\mid U\alpha\in A^ n\text{ for all }\alpha\in R^ n\}\). Then \(A^+\subseteq A^*\). An ideal of \(M_ n(R)\) which lies strictly between \(A^ +\) and \(A^*\) is called an intermediate ideal. In the present paper, the author partially answers the question: How long can a proper chain of intermediate ideals between \(A^ +\) and \(A^*\) be? He shows that for each \(n \geq 4\), there exists a near-ring \(R\) with an ideal \(A\) such that there exist ideals \({\mathcal I}_ 1,\dots, {\mathcal I}_{n-2}\) of \(M_ n(R)\) with \(A^+\subset{\mathcal I}_ 1\subset\cdots\subset{\mathcal I}_{n - 2} \subset A^*\). Thus chains of intermediate ideals can be arbitrarily long, in contrast with the ring case where \(A^+=A^*\) in general, and so no intermediate ideals are possible.