The minimal degree standard identity on \(M_nE^2\) and \(M_nE^3\) (Q2200038)

\textit{R. G. Swan} gave a graph-theoretic proof of the Amitsur-Levitzki theorem which states that the standard identity of degree \(2n\) holds for the ring of \(n \times n\) matrices over a commutative ring [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 14, 367--373 (1963; Zbl 0118.01802)]. A further development in this direction was made in [\textit{J. Szigeti} et al., J. Algebra 161, No. 1, 90--101 (1993; Zbl 0802.16015)]. Let \(M_nE^m\) be the ring of \(n \times n\) matrices over the \(m\)-generated Grassmann algebra \(E^m\) over a commutative ring \(R\) of characteristic zero. The authors prove Theorem 1. The standard identity of degree \(2 \lfloor\frac m2 \rfloor +4n-5\) is not a polynomial identity of \(M_n E^m\) for any \(n,m \ge 2\). Theorem 2. The standard identity of degree \(4n-2\) is a polynomial identity of \(M_n E^2\) and \(M_n E^3\) for all \(n \ge 2\). So, the case of \(m \le 3\) is settled, leading to Conjecture. For all \(n,m \ge 2\) the minimal degree of a standard identity that is a polynomial identity of \(M_n E^m\) is \(2 \lfloor\frac m2 \rfloor +4n-4\). The arguments are purely combinatorial, based on computing sums of signs corresponding to Eulerian trails in directed graphs.