Leavitt path algebras satisfying a polynomial identity. (Q2801829)

It is shown that for an arbitrary graph \(E\), the Leavitt path algebra \(L=L_K(E)\) over a field \(K\) satisfies a polynomial identity if and only if no cycle in \(E\) has an exit and there is a fixed positive integer \(d\) such that for any vertex \(v\in E^0\), the number of distinct paths ending at \(v\) having no repeated vertices is at most \(d\). In this case \(L\) is subdirect product of matrix rings of order \(\leq d\) over \(K\) and \(K[x,x^{-1}]\). If \(E\) is row-finite, \(L\) satisfies PI if and only if \(L\) is isomorphic to possibly infinite direct sum of matrix rings over \(K\) or \(K[x,x^{-1}]\) where the order of each matrix in the decomposition is less than a fixed positive integer \(d\) and is specified in terms of graph-theoretic data. Furthermore, if \(E\) is finite, several more equivalent conditions are found. One of them is that the Gelfand-Kirillov dimension of \(L\) is at most \(1\).NEWLINENEWLINE The authors prove that in general, if \(E\) is infinite and \(L\) is a PI-algebra, then \(L\) must have Gelfand-Kirillov dimension at most \(1\) (however examples are given to show the existence of Leavitt path algebras having Gelfand-Kirillov dimension \(\leq 1\) which are not PI-algebras). Then the authors consider Leavitt path algebras of low Gelfand-Kirillov dimension. For instance \(L\) has \(0\) Gelfand-Kirillov dimension if and only if it is von Neumann regular or equivalently \(E\) has no cycles. Also \(L\) has Gelfand-Kirillov dimension \(1\) if and only if \(E\) contains at least one cycle and no cycle in \(E\) has an exit. In this case \(L\) is a directed union of finite direct sums of matrix rings of finite order over \(K\) and \(K[x,x^{-1}]\).