The unitary closure property of the prime varieties of associative algebras. (Q630297)

The classification of T-prime (or verbally prime) T-ideals of polynomial identities for associative PI-algebras (which play a key role in the structure theory of T-ideals developed by Kemer in the 1980's) is far from complete in the case of algebras over an infinite field of positive characteristic \(p\). In characteristic 0 T-prime T-ideals are unitary closed: If \(f(x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n)\) belongs to the T-ideal, then the same holds for \(f(1,x_2,\dots,x_n)\). This is equivalent to the fact that the corresponding variety is generated by a unital algebra. In the paper under review the author shows that over an infinite field of characteristic \(p\) prime varieties are generated by either a unital algebra or a nilalgebra of bounded index. Together with known results this gives that every prime variety is generated by an algebraic algebra of bounded degree. Then the author studies T-prime T-ideals containing the Engel identity and shows that for sufficiently large \(N\) the T-ideal remains T-prime if we add to it the identity \(x^{p^N}=0\). The results of the paper are applied to obtain the description of an important class of prime varieties in characteristic \(p\geq 5\) satisfying the same multilinear identities. This class appears in: the construction of \textit{Ju. P. Razmyslov} of \((p-1)\)-Engel Lie algebras which are not nilpotent [Math. USSR, Izv. 8, 727-760 (1974); translation from Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 38, 723-756 (1974; Zbl 0311.16016)]; in the papers by \textit{A. Kemer} devoted to the prime subvarieties of the variety generated by the \(2\times 2\) matrix algebra [Algebr. Represent. Theory 4, No. 1, 87-104 (2001; Zbl 0978.16025)] and to the variety of associative algebras defined by the trace identities \(\text{tr}(1)-2=0\), the linearization of the Cayley-Hamilton identity for \(2\times 2\) matrices and the symmetric Cayley-Hamilton polynomial \(\rho_{p-2}(x_1,\dots,x_{p-2})=0\), where \(\rho_{p-2}\) is the sum of all multilinear trace polynomials of degree \(p-2\) [Isr. J. Math. 96, Pt. B, 341-356 (1996; Zbl 0874.16016)]; in the paper by the author [Fundam. Prikl. Mat. 8, No. 3, 887-910 (2002; Zbl 1052.16018)] as the class of prime varieties satisfying the same multilinear identities as the unique 2-classical variety of algebras with trace. The result of the paper under review is that the prime varieties are defined by the multilinear identities in consideration adding, if necessary, the identity \(x^{p^N}=0\). All varieties obtained by adding \(x^{p^N}=0\) are pairwise different and prime.