Injective modules, localization and completion in group algebras (Q1118663)

The injective hull, E(V) of an irreducible module V over the Noetherian ring R may fail to be Artinian even when R is Artinian [\textit{A. V. Jategaonkar}, Localization in Noetherian Rings (Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 98, 1986; Zbl 0589.16014), Example 6.3.15]. However E(V) is always Artinian if R is commutative, by a well-known result of \textit{E. Matlis} [Pac. J. Math. 8, 511-528 (1958; Zbl 0084.266)], and there has been some interest recently in determining how classes of Noetherian rings behave with regard to this property. In this paper such injective hulls are shown to be Artinian when R is a localization of a group algebra of a polycyclic-by-finite group G over an uncountable field k of characteristic 0 at a clique of prime ideals. The conclusion can then be deduced for the hulls of finite dimensional kG- modules also, a result obtained by other means by \textit{S. Donkin} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 44, 333-348 (1982; Zbl 0483.20004)]. The method of proof involves the discovery of non-zero normal elements in the completions of certain group algebras of torsion free soluble groups at certain ideals, a result which is of independent interest.