On real one-sided ideals in a free algebra (Q392410)

This paper focuses on extensions of Nullstellensatz to the free algebra \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) of noncommutative real polynomials. Let \(\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) be the monoid freely generated by \(x=(x_1,\ldots,x_g)\) and \(x^{\ast}=(x_1^{\ast},\ldots,x_g^{\ast})\), i.e., consists of words in \(2g\) noncommuting letters \(x=x_1,\ldots,x_g,x_1^{\ast},\ldots,x_g^{\ast}\) (including the empty word \(\varnothing\) which plays the role of the identity \(1\)). Let \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) denote the \(\mathbb{R}\)-algebra freely generated by \(x,x^{\ast}\) i.e., the elements of \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) are polynomials in the noncommuting variables \(x,x^{\ast}\) with coefficients in \(\mathbb{R}\). Let \(V(I)\) be the zero set of a left ideal \(I\) in \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\). By \(\sqrt{I}\) denote the vanishing radical of the left ideal \(I\), i.e., the set of all \(p\in\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) which vanish on \(V(I)\). The ideal \(I\) has the left Nullstellensatz property if \(\sqrt{I}=I\). A polynomial \(p\) is analytic if it has no transpose variables, that is, no \(x^{\ast}\). A left ideal \(I\) of \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) is said to be real if for every \(a_1,\ldots,a_r\in\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) such that \(\sum_{i=1}^r a^{\ast}_i a_i\in I+I^{\ast}\), we have that \(a_1,\ldots,a_r\in I\). The smallest real ideal containing a left ideal \(I\) of \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) is called the real radical of \(I\) and denote by \(\sqrt[re]{I}\). A finitely generated left ideal \(I\) in \(\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) satisfies \(\sqrt[re]{I}=\sqrt{I}\). Thus \(I\) has the left Nullstellensatz property if and only if it is real. This statement was proved by the authors in their early paper [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3), 106, No. 5, 1060--1186 (2013; Zbl 1270.14029)]. The main goal of the authors is to determine which left ideal have the property \(I=\sqrt{I}\). They give a complete solution for principle ideals generated by a degree \(1\) or degree \(2\) polynomial. Other results treat more general situations but are less complete. For example, the authors study the left monomial ideals. A left monomial ideal is a left ideal generated by monomials. A word \(w\in\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) is left unshrinkable if it cannot be written as \(w=uu^{\ast}v\) for some \(u,v\in \langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) with \(u\neq 1\). The authors prove that a left monomial ideal is real if and only if it is generated by left unshrinkable words. Hence a finitely generated left monomial ideal is real if and only if it has the left Nullstellensatz property. One of the main results of the paper: Theorem. Suppose \(I\subseteqq\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\) is the left ideal generated by a nonzero polynomial \(p\). (1) Suppose \(p\) is homogeneous. Then \(I\) is real if and only if \(p\) is not of the form \(p=(s+q)f\), where \(s\) is a nonconstant sum of squares, \(q^{\ast}=-q\), and \(f\in\mathbb{R}\langle x,x^{\ast}\rangle\). (2) Even for nonhomogeneous \(p\) the condition in (1) on \(p\) rules out \(I\) being real. (3) Suppose \(p=a+b^{\ast}\), where \(a\) and \(b\) are analytic polynomials. Then \(I\) not real if and only if \(p=a-a^{\ast}+c\) for some nonzero constant \(c\). The authors give a computer algorithm to determine if a given \(I\) is a real ideal, hence if \(I\) has the left Nullstellensatz property.