Comatrix corings and Galois comodules over firm rings. (Q2642950)

Let \(A\) and \(B\) be rings, and \(\Sigma\) a \((B,A)\)-bimodule that is finitely generated and projective as a right \(A\)-module. Then \(\Hom_A(\Sigma,A)\otimes_B\Sigma\) is an \(A\)-coring, called comatrix coring. Its counit is the evaluation map, and its comultiplication is given by the formula \[ \Delta(\varphi\otimes_Bu)=\sum_i\varphi\otimes_Be_i\otimes_Ae_i^*\otimes_Bu, \] where \(\{(e_i,e_i^*)\mid i=1,\dots,n\}\) is a finite dual basis of \(\Sigma\in{\mathcal M}_A\). In the literature, attempts have been made to generalize this construction to the situation where \(\Sigma\in{\mathcal M}_A\) is not necessarily finite [see \textit{L. El Kaoutit} and \textit{J. Gómez-Torrecillas}, Int. Math. Res. Not. 2004, No. 39, 2017-2037 (2004; Zbl 1084.16029), and \textit{S. Caenepeel, E. De Groot} and \textit{J. Vercruysse}, Appl. Categ. Struct. 14, No. 5-6, 539-565 (2006; Zbl 1127.16032)]. The aim of this paper is to provide a natural framework for a general theory of infinite comatrix corings. The innovative idea is to work over firm rings, these are rings \(A\) that do not necessarily have a unit, but with the weaker property that the natural map \(A\otimes_AA\to A\) is bijective. For example, rings with local units are firm rings. This can be understood from the following perspective. If \(A\) and \(B\) have units, and if there are bimodules \(\Sigma\in{_B{\mathcal M}_A}\), \(\Sigma'\in{_A{\mathcal M}_B}\) such that \((-\otimes_B\Sigma,-\otimes_A\Sigma')\) is an adjoint pair of functors between \({\mathcal M}_B\) and \({\mathcal M}_A\), then \(\Sigma\in{\mathcal M}_A\) is finitely generated and projective, and \(\Sigma'\cong\Hom_A(\Sigma,A)\). This property is no longer true over firm rings, and adjoint pairs then correspond to so-called comatrix coring contexts. Then \(\Sigma'\otimes_B\Sigma\) is an \(A\)-coring. In particular, the situation where \(A\) has a unit and \(B\) is firm is interesting, because in this situation the comatrix coring \(\Sigma'\otimes_B\Sigma\) is a coring over a ring with unit. In this paper, the authors introduce and discuss comatrix corings in this sense. They develop Galois theory over infinite comatrix corings. Comatrix corings are applied to study certain rationality properties.