On symplectic groups over polynomial rings (Q2277580)

Let A be a locally principal ring, which means that the localization \(A_{\mu}\) of A at every maximal A-ideal \(\mu\) is a principal ideal ring. The principal results of this paper are as follows. Let \(R=A[x_ 1,...,x_ m]\), where \(m\geq 0\). Then (i) \(Sp_{2n}R=Sp_{2n}A\cdot Ep_{2n}R\), for all \(n\geq 2,\) (ii) \(SL_ nR=SL_ nA\cdot E_ nR\), for all \(n\geq 3,\) where \(Ep_{2n}R\) is the subgroup of the symplectic group \(Sp_{2n}R\) generated by the (symplectic) elementary matrices and \(E_ nR\) is the subgroup of \(SL_ nR\) generated by the elementary matrices (n\(\geq 2)\). It follows that \(K_ 1Sp(A)=K_ 1Sp(R)\) and that \(SK_ 1(A)=SK_ 1(R)\). These results extend many earlier results of Suslin, Kopejko, Bass and others. The proofs are based on an effective localization and patching technique which reduces the problem to the case where A is a local principal ideal ring. The proofs then make use of symplectic symbols of Mennicke type. Using similar methods the authors also prove some results for the Laurent polynomial ring \(R'=A[x,x^{-1}]\). When A is a local (principal ideal) ring it is proved that (i) \(Sp_{2n}R'=Ep_{2n}R'\), (ii) \(SL_{n+1}R'=E_{n+1}R'\), for all \(n\geq 2\). Finally it is proved that when A is a principal ideal domain \(Sp_{2n}R'=Sp_{2n}A\cdot Ep_{2n}R'\), for all \(n\geq 2\). It follows that \(K_ 1Sp(A)=K_ 1Sp(R')\).