The socle series of a Leavitt path algebra. (Q1758917)

The left (right) socle of a ring is the ideal generated by all the minimal left (right) ideals of the ring. In case the ring possesses an involution, the left and right socles coincide, and the term socle is used to designate this ideal. The Loewy socle series of a ring \(R\) is an ascending chain \(S_0<S_1<\cdots S_\gamma<\cdots\) built up from the higher level socles (so that \(S_{\alpha+1}/S_\alpha\) is the socle of \(R/S_\alpha\)). A ring \(R\) is said to be a Loewy ring if the socle series terminates at \(R\), that is, if \(R=S_\gamma\) for some ordinal \(\gamma\). The least ordinal \(\gamma\) with this property is called the Loewy length of \(R\). The authors investigate the Loewy socle series of Leavitt path algebras \(L_K(E)\) for an arbitrary graph \(E\) and field \(K\). Since Leavitt path algebras possess an involution, there is no need to distinguish between the left and the right socle series. A classification is obtained of the Leavitt path algebras which are Loewy rings, obtaining in particular that they are von Neumann regular. It is shown that there are Leavitt path algebras of arbitrary Loewy length. By contrast, it is shown that the Loewy length of \(L_K(E)\) is \(\leq\omega_1\) for any row-finite graph \(E\) and any field \(K\).