Hereditary rings with countably generated cotorsion envelope. (Q2253002)

Let \(R\) be a unitary ring. A left \(R\)-module \(C\) is cotorsion if \(\text{Ext}_R(F,C)=0\) for all flat right \(R\)-modules \(F\). Flat cotorsion modules enjoy very nice properties and their structure has been researched by several authors (e.g. the monograph by \textit{J. Xu} [Flat covers of modules. Lect. Notes Math. 1634. Berlin: Springer (1996; Zbl 0860.16002)] and several papers by \textit{P. A. Guil Asensio} and \textit{I. Herzog} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 36, No. 3, 303-309 (2004; Zbl 1068.16003); J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 76, No. 3, 797-811 (2007; Zbl 1143.16003); and Adv. Math. 191, No. 1, 11-28 (2005; Zbl 1084.16006)]). Let \(M\) be a left \(R\)-module, a homomorphism \(f\colon M\to C\), where \(C\) is cotorsion left \(R\)-module, is called a cotorsion preenvelope of \(M\) if it satisfies that any other homomorphism from \(M\) to a cotorsion left \(R\)-module factors through \(f\). A cotorsion preenvelope \(f\) is called a cotorsion envelope if, moreover, any endomorphism \(g\) of \(C\) with \(g\circ f=f\) is an isomorphism. The existence of cotorsion envelopes follows from the proof of the flat cover conjecture. In this paper, using set theoretical methods, it is shown that if \(R\) is left hereditary, \(P\) is a progenerator in the category of left \(R\)-modules and the cotorsion envelope of \(P\) is countably generated, then \(P\) is a finite direct sum of indecomposable cotorsion modules. As a consequence, if the cotorsion envelope of a hereditary ring is countably generated, then the ring is semilocal.