Rings over which matrices are sums of idempotent and \(q \)-potent matrices (Q2221956)

Let \(q\) be a natural and \(q>1\). An element \(r\) in a ring \(R\) is \(q\)\textsl{-potent} provided that \(r^{q}=r\). In this paper, the rings over which each square matrix is the sum of an idempotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix are studied. Using a series of ten preliminary lemmas, a first result is: Theorem 11. If \(q\) is odd and such that one of the equivalences \( q\equiv 1\) (mod 6) or \(q\equiv 1\) (mod 26) holds, then for every \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{3})\) is the sum of an idempotent and a \(q\)-potent. Among the main results we mention: Theorem 14. Let \(q>1\) be odd, and let \(R\) be an integral domain not isomorphic to \(\mathbb{F}_{3}\). Then the following are equivalent: (1) for every \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of an idempotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix; (2) for some \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of an idempotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix; (3) for every \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of a nilpotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix; (4) for some \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of a nilpotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix; (5) \(R\) is a finite field and \(\left\vert R\right\vert -1\) divides \(q-1\). Theorem 22. Let \(q>1\) be odd, let \(R\) be a commutative ring, and let \(\mathrm{Nil}(R)=0\). If \(R\) does not possess a homomorphic image isomorphic to \( \mathbb{F}_{3}\), then the following are equivalent: (1) for every \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of an idempotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix; (2) for some \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) each matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of an idempotent matrix and a \(q\)-potent matrix; (3) the identity \(x^{q}=x\) holds in \(R\). Theorem 23. Let \(R\) be a commutative ring, and \(\mathrm{Nil}(R)=0\). Assume that one of the equalities \(q=6k+1\) and \(q=26k+1\) holds, where \(k\in \mathbb{ N}\). Then the following are equivalent: (1) for all \(n\in N\) every matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of a \(q\)-potent matrix and an idempotent matrix; (2) for some \(n\in N\) every matrix in \(\mathbb{M}_{n}(R)\) is the sum of a \(q\)-potent matrix and an idempotent matrix; (3) the identity \(x^{q}=x\) holds in \(R\). Many examples and counterexamples are given.