Right ideals of rings of differential operators (Q1330024)

Let \(k\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero and let \(R\) be the ring of regular functions on a smooth affine curve defined over \(k\). The authors give a geometric description of the right ideals of the ring of differential operators \({\mathcal D}(R)\). A \(k\)-subspace \(V\) of \(R\) is said to be primary if it contains a power of a maximal ideal of \(R\), and is primary decomposable if it is a finite intersection of primary subspaces. The authors show that the lattice of right ideals of \({\mathcal D}(R)\) with nonzero intersection with \(R\) is isomorphic to the lattice of primary decomposable subspaces of \(R\). Since every right ideal is isomorphic to one with nonzero intersection with \(R\), this gives a description of the right ideals of \({\mathcal D}(R)\) up to isomorphism, in terms of primary decomposable subspaces of \(R\). From this, a moduli space description of the right ideals up to isomorphism is obtained. These ideas are then used to classify the domains Morita equivalent to \({\mathcal D}(R)\). A particular and important application of these results is to the Weyl algebra, where it becomes possible to give a combinatorial formula for a set of two generators for a given right ideal!