Additive maps on rings behaving like derivations at idempotent-product elements. (Q534006)

Let \(\mathcal A\) be a unital ring with the unit \(I\). Recall that an additive map \(\delta\) from \(\mathcal A\) into itself is called a derivation if \(\delta(AB)=\delta(A)B+A\delta(B)\) for all \(A,B\in\mathcal A\). As everybody knows, derivations are very important maps both in theory and applications, and are studied intensively. The question under what conditions an additive map becomes a derivation attracted much attention of many mathematicians. Over the past years considerable attention has been paid to the question of determining derivations through their action on the zero-product elements \(A,B\in\mathcal A\) (i.e., \(AB=0\)). One hot topic is to characterize maps behaving like derivations when acting on zero-product elements, that is, a map \(\delta\colon\mathcal A\to\mathcal A\) satisfying \[ \delta(A)B+A\delta(B)=0,\quad\forall A,B\in\mathcal A\text{ with }AB=0. \] For every ring \(\mathcal R\) with the unit \(I\) containing a nontrivial idempotent \(P\), the authors describe the additive maps \(\delta\) from \(\mathcal R\) into itself which behave like derivations, and show that derivations on such kinds of rings can be determined by the action on the elements \(A,B\in\mathcal R\) with \(AB=0\), \(AB=P\) and \(AB=I\), respectively. Those results of \textit{R. An} and \textit{J. Hou} [Linear Algebra Appl. 431, No. 5-7, 1070-1080 (2009; Zbl 1173.47023)], \textit{M. Brešar} [Proc. R. Soc. Edinb., Sect. A, Math. 137, No. 1, 9-21 (2007; Zbl 1130.16018)] and \textit{M. A. Chebotar, W.-F. Ke} and \textit{P.-H. Lee} [Pac. J. Math. 216, No. 2, 217--228 (2004; Zbl 1078.16034)] are improved.