Köthe's upper nil radical for modules. (Q2250807)

Let \(M\) be a left \(R\)-module over an associative ring \(R\) not necessarily with identity. In [J. Algebra Appl. 6, No. 2, 337-353 (2007; Zbl 1119.16020) and Acta Math. Hung. 122, No. 3, 293-306 (2009; Zbl 1188.16014)] \textit{M. Behboodi} introduces the notion of an \(m\)-system for modules and uses it to characterize the prime radical for a module. In this paper the authors introduce a notion of an \(s\)-system as a generalization of an \(m\)-system and use it to characterize the (Köthe's) upper nil radical for modules. This generalization is as follows. A nonempty set \(S\subseteq M\setminus\{0\}\) is called an \(s\)-system of \(M\) if for each ideal \(A\) of \(R\) and for all submodules \(K\) and \(L\) of \(M\) whenever \(K+L\) and \(K+AM\) meet \(S\), then there exists \(x\in A\) such that \(K+x^nL\) meets \(S\) for every integer \(n\geq 1\). Note that a proper submodule \(P\) of \(M\) is called \(s\)-prime if \(P\) satisfies the following condition: If \(A\) is an ideal of \(R\) and \(N\) is a submodule of \(M\) and for every \(x\in A\) there exists an integer \(n\geq 1\) such that \(x^nN\subseteq P\), then \(N\subseteq P\) or \(AM\subseteq P\). It is proved that a submodule \(P\) of \(M\) is \(s\)-prime if and only if \(M\setminus P\) is an \(s\)-system of \(M\). For a submodule \(N\) of the module \(M\), if there is an \(s\)-prime submodule containing \(N\), then let \(S(N)\) be the set of all \(m\in M\) such that every \(s\)-system in \(M\) containing \(m\) meets \(N\). If \(M\) has no \(s\)-prime submodule containing \(N\), then we write \(S(N)=M\). The authors show that for any submodule \(N\) of \(M\) either \(S(N)=M\) or \(S(N)\) equals the intersection of all \(s\)-prime submodules of \(M\) containing \(N\). If \(N=\{0\}\), then \(N(M)=S(0)\) is called the (Köthe's) upper nil radical of \(M\), i.e. \(S(M)\) is the set of all elements \(m\in M\) such that every \(s\)-system in \(M\) which contains \(m\) also contains \(0\). Several main properties of \(N(M)\) are proved. In particular, if \(R\) is a commutative ring and \(\mathrm{rad}(M)\) is the prime radical of the \(R\)-module \(M\), then \(N(M)=\mathrm{rad}(M)\). Let \(\mathrm{Rad}(M)\) and \(J(R)\), respectively, denote the Jacobson radical of the \(R\)-module \(M\) and the Jacobson radical of the ring \(R\). If \(M\) is a left \(R\)-module over a left Artinian ring \(R\), then \(N(M)=\mathrm{Rad}(M)=J(R)M\). Furthermore, it is proved that the class of all \(s\)-prime modules is a special class of modules.