The power substitution property for rings of continuous functions (Q1320234)

A ring \(R\) is said to have power substitution if whenever \(aR+ bR= R\) for some \(a\), \(b\) in \(R\) there exists a positive integer \(n\geq 1\) such that \(aI_ n+ bM_ n(R)\) contains a unit, where \(M_ n(R)\) denotes the ring of all \(n\times n\) matrices over \(R\) and \(I_ n\) the identity matrix. The main objective of the present paper is to discuss power substitution for full matrix rings of real or complex continuous functions on a compact Hausdorff space \(X\). A necessary condition for power substitution is given in terms of the possibility of extension to \(X\), up to homotopy, of functions from any closed subspace of \(X\) to the \(n\times n\) special orthogonal group. For a ring of real or complex continuous functions, this condition is characterized in terms of topological \(K\)-theory.