Null ideals of subsets of matrix rings over fields (Q2133673)

Given a field \(F\), let \(M_n(F)\) be the ring of \(n\times n\) matrices with entries in \(F\). For a subset \(S\) of \(M_n(F)\), the null ideal \(N(S)\) of \(S\) is the set formed by polynomials \(f\) with coefficients in \(M_n(F)\) such that \(f(s)=0\) for all \(s\in S\). It is an open problem to establish when \(N(S)\) is a two-sided ideal of \(M_n(F)[X]\). When this happens, the author says that \(S\) is \textit{core}. In general, not all subsets are core. For example, in [in: Rings, polynomials, and modules. Proceedings of the conferences ``Recent advances in commutative ring and module theory'', Bressanone/Brixen, Italy, June 13--17, 2016 and ``Conference on rings and polynomials'', Graz, Austria, July 3--8, 2016. Cham: Springer. 353--375 (2017; Zbl 1390.13063)] the author showed that a singleton \(S=\{s\}\) of \(M_n(F)\) is core if and only if \(s\) is a scalar matrix. This article gives an interesting contribution to this problem by establishing conditions under which a subset \(S\subset M_n(F)\) is core. Section \(2\) describes the connection between the problem of establishing when a subset of matrices is core to rings of integer-valued polynomials over subsets of matrices. More explicitly, given an integral domain \(D\) with quotient field \(K\) and a subset \(S\) of \(M_n(D)\), very little is known about when the set \(\text{Int}(S,M_n(D))=\{f\in M_n(K)\mid f(A)\in M_n(D),\text{ for all } A\in S\}\) is a ring. This happens precisely when, for each \(d\in D\), \(d\not=0\), the residue set \(\overline{S}\subseteq M_n(D/dD)\) is core. Section \(3\) contains a collection of useful results about null ideals over general rings, in a more broader settings than matrix rings. For example, union of core subsets is core, but the converse is not necessarily true, as later is showed for subsets of matrix rings. Section \(4\) specializes on null ideals of subsets of matrix rings. The first important result, Proposition 4.1, shows that over an integral domain \(D\), a subset \(S\) of \(M_n(D)\) is core if and only if \(N(S)\subset M_n(D)[X]\) is generated by polynomials with coefficients in \(D\). In the special case of a field \(F\), the author says that a subset \(S\) of \(M_n(F)\) is \textit{polynomially finite} if the set formed by the minimal polynomials \(\mu_A(X)\) of all the matrices \(A\in S\) is finite. Equivalently, \(S\) is polynomially finite if and only if the l.c.m. of all such minimal polynomials \(\mu_A(X)\), \(A\in S\), exists. In that case, such a l.c.m. is denoted \(\phi_S(X)\). The main result of this section, Theorem 4.4, shows that a polynomially finite subset \(S\) of \(M_n(F)\) is core if and only if \(N(S)\) is generated by \(\phi_S(X)\). Another sufficient but not necessary criterion for a subset \(S\) to be core is given in terms of Vandermonde matrices. Sections 5 contains more specific results of finite core subsets of \(M_2(F)\), which are obtained by partitioning a given subset \(S\) of \(M_2(F)\) based on the particular form of the minimal polynomial of its elements (namely, linear, quadratic irreducible, quadratic split with distinct roots and quadratic split with a repeated root). This technique is suggested by the following result: given two polynomially finite subsets \(S_1,S_2\) with \(\phi_{S_1},\phi_{S_2}\) coprime, \(S_1\cup S_2\) is core if and only if both \(S_1,S_2\) are core. Some other results give sufficient conditions based on the cardinality of the given subset \(S\), which holds only for \(2\times 2\) matrices. Theorem 5.14 proves that a subset \(S\) of \(M_2(F)\) consisting of matrices with the same quadratic minimal polynomial is core if and only if there exists \(A,B\in S\) such that \(A-B\) is invertible. Section 6 focuses on subsets of \(M_2(F)\) whose elements have the same minimal polynomial \(m(X)\) which is split quadratic with distinct roots. The main result, Theorem 6.6, considers a subset \(T\) of \(M_2(F)\) which is the union of subsets of the this kind with distinct minimal polynomials \(m_i(X)\), and gives a sufficient and necessary condition for \(T\) to be core in terms of some specific left ideals of \(M_2(F)\) consisting by the leading coefficients of linear polynomial which divides \(m_i(X)\). Finally, Section 7 provides an algorithm which determines whether or not a finite subset \(S\) of \(M_2(F)\) is core. This algorithm is based on the previous considerations. The paper is full with enlightening examples, which show that the stated results are optimal.