Nilpotent derivations. (Q556970)

In this technical paper, the authors develop precise results on the index of nilpotence of a derivation \(D\) of a semiprime ring \(R\) with characteristic, and also on a related index defined by the ideals of \(R\). Let \(R\) be a semiprime ring with characteristic zero or a prime, \(Q\) the symmetric Martindale quotient ring of \(R\), \(C\) the extended centroid of \(R\), and \(D\) a nilpotent derivation of \(R\). When \(R\) is a prime ring with \(\text{char\,}R=0\), the authors re-prove the known result that \(D=ad(b)\) is inner for some \(b\in Q\), nilpotent of index \(n\), and so, the index of nilpotence of \(D\) is \(2n-1\). When \(R\) is prime with \(\text{char\,}R=p\geq 2\) then some \(p\)-th power \(D^{p^s}=ad(b)\) for \(b\in Q\) algebraic over \(C\) with minimal polynomial \((x^{p^t}-c)^k\) for \(c\in C\), \(t\geq 0\), \(k\geq 1\) and \((p,k)=1\), and the index of nilpotence of \(D\) is explicitly defined in terms of \(s\), \(t\), and the \(p\)-adic representation of \(k\). Using the theory of orthogonal completions, the authors extend these results for prime rings to semiprime rings with characteristic. In this case, \(Q\) is a finite direct sum of \(D\)-invariant ideals and the index of nilpotence of \(D\) restricted to each summand is described essentially as in the prime cases above.