Morphic and principal-ideal group rings. (Q2468538)

Given a ring \(R\) and a group \(G\), when is the group ring \(RG\) a principal ideal ring (i.e. a ring all of whose one-sided ideals are principal)? This question was studied and answered by \textit{J. L.~Fisher} and \textit{S. K.~Sehgal} [Commun. Algebra 4, 319-325 (1976; Zbl 0345.20006)] when \(R\) is a field and \(G\) is a nilpotent group, and it was completed for arbitrary groups by \textit{D. S.~Passman} [Commun. Algebra 5, 1119-1162 (1977; Zbl 0366.16003)]. In the paper under review these works are extended; the main result is the characterization of when \(RG\) is a principal ideal ring for Artinian rings \(R\) and arbitrary groups \(G\). An element \(a\in R\) is said to be left morphic if the factor ring \(R/Ra\) and the left annihilator of \(a\) in \(R\) are isomorphic. A ring \(R\) is said to be left morphic, if each of its elements is left morphic. Right morphic rings can be defined similarly; a ring \(R\) is called morphic, if it is left and right morphic. Previous results on morphicity of group rings can be found in work of \textit{J.~Chen}, \textit{Y.~Li} and \textit{Y.~Zhou} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 205, No. 3, 621-639 (2006; Zbl 1094.16018)]. In view of the interplay between morphic rings and principal ideal rings established by \textit{W. K.~Nicholson} and \textit{E.~Sánchez Campos} [Glasg. Math. J. 46, No. 1, 181-191 (2004; Zbl 1069.16005)], in the case when \(R\) is Artinian and \(G\) is finite a characterization of morphic group rings follows from the main result of this paper.