Modules of finite projective dimension and cocovers (Q2563409)

Given an Artin algebra \(\Lambda\) the category of finitely generated left \(\Lambda\)-modules is denoted by \(\text{mod}(\Lambda)\) and \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\) denotes the full subcategory of \(\text{mod}(\Lambda)\) consisting of modules having projective dimension less than or equal \(n\). The subcategory of modules of finite projective dimension is denoted by \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\). The authors consider the question when the categories \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\), \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\) are contravariantly (covariantly) finite. The main results assert that \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\) is contravariantly finite if and only if there exists a tilting module in \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\) which is \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\)-injective. More generally, the statement remains valid if the category \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\) is replaced by any resolving subcategory \({\mathcal C}\) contained in \({\mathcal P}^{\leq n}(\Lambda)\). A subcategory of \(\text{mod}(\Lambda)\) is resolving if it is closed under taking extensions and kernels of surjective maps and contains \({_\Lambda\Lambda}\). The subject is related to the classical finitistic dimension conjecture. The authors prove that if the finitistic dimension conjecture holds for \(\Lambda\) (that is, there exists an integer \(N\) such that \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)={\mathcal P}^{\leq N}(\Lambda)\)) and the category \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\) has a cocover then \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\) is contravariantly finite. An object \(X\) in \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\) is a cocover of \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\) if each object of this category can be embedded into a direct sum of several copies of \(X\). This together with the result of \textit{M. Auslander} and \textit{I. Reiten} [Adv. Math. 86, No. 1, 111-152 (1991; Zbl 0774.16006)] yields necessary and sufficient conditions for \({\mathcal P}^{<\infty}(\Lambda)\) to be contravariantly finite.