An embedding theorem (Q5894173)

Let \(M\) be a commutative monoid written additively. Recall that \(M\) is \textit{cancellative} if \(a+b=a+c\) implies \(b=c\), \textit{reduced} if the only unit of \(M\) is \(0\), and \textit{torsionfree} (or \textit{torsionless}) if \(na=nb\) implies \(a=b\). An nonunit element \(a\) of a cancellative torsionfree monoid \(M\) is \textit{irreducible} or an \textit{atom} if \(a=b+c\) implies \(b\) or \(c\) is a unit of \(M\) and \(M\) is \textit{atomic} if each nonunit of \(M\) is a sum of atoms. Given an atomic cancellative reduced torsionfree monoid \(M\) the authors construct an integral domain \(T\) whose atomic factorization structure is isomorphic to \(M\). In more detail, if \(A\) is the submonoid of the multiplicative monoid of nonzero elements of \(T\) generated by the irreducible elements of \(T\) and \(U(T)\) is the group of units of \(T\), then \(A/U(T)\) is isomorphic to \(M\). The domain \(T\) is obtained by applying a modification of a construction of \textit{M. Roitman} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 87, No. 2, 187--199 (1993; Zbl 0780.13014)] to the monoid domain \(R[X;M]\) where \(R\) is any integral domain. This is an interesting result that is not only philosophically interesting, but should be useful in constructing examples. Reviewer's note: Lemma 3.1 may be more easily proved by observing that a cancellative torsionfree monoid can be totally ordered. In the statement of Theorem 3.3 \( M \) should be atomic. It is unclear from Definition 4.1 whether a CK-\(n\) domain is assumed to be atomic. Remark 4.2 assumes that the CK-\(1\) or CK-\(2\) domain in question is atomic, while Corollaries 4.4 and 4.5 speak of nonatomic CK-\(n\) domains.