Characterizing minimal ring extensions (Q635260)

A ring extension \(R\subset T\) is called \textit{minimal} if \(R\) and \(T\) are the only \(R\)-subalgebras of \(T\). The study of minimal ring morphisms (or extensions) was initiated by \textit{D. Ferrand} and \textit{J.-P. Olivier} [``Homomorphismes minimaux d'anneaux'', J. Algebra 16, 461--471 (1970; Zbl 0218.13011)]. Many authors continued this study. In particular, classifications of minimal ring extensions were made by \textit{D. Dobbs} and \textit{J. Shapiro} [``A classification of the minimal ring extensions of certain commutative rings'', J. Algebra 308, No. 2, 800--821 (2007; Zbl 1118.13004)], \textit{T. Lucas} [``Minimal integral ring extensions'', J. Commut. Alg. 3, No. 1, 47--81 (2011)] and \textit{G. Picavet} and the reviewer [``About minimal morphisms'', in: Multiplicative ideal theory in commutative algebra. A tribute to the work of Robert Gilmer. New York, NY: Springer. 369--386 (2006; Zbl 1127.13006)]. In the paper under review, which offers many interesting results, the authors make a deep study of minimal extensions, giving characterizations and properties of such extensions, and bringing a new point of view with a lot of illustrating examples. A minimal ring extension is clearly either an integral extension, or an integrally closed extension. The latter is called in this paper a \textit{closed minimal extension}. In each case, there exists \(u\in T\) such that \(T=R[u]\). Section 2 is devoted to introduce some tools needed for later use that we recall here for a good understanding of the review. Ferrand and Olivier showed that for a minimal extension \(R\subset T\), there exists a maximal ideal \(M\) of \(R\), later called the \textit{crucial maximal ideal} of the extension, with the following property: for each \(P\in\) Spec\((R)\), the canonical ring morphism \(R_P\to T_P\) is an isomorphism if \(P\neq M\) and a minimal ring extension if \(P=M\). In the present paper, the authors define an ideal \(J\) as \textit{critical} for an extension \(R\subset T\) if \(J=\sqrt{(R:_Rt)}\), for each \(t\in T\setminus R\). They prove (Proposition 2.14 and Remark 3.8(5)) that, for a minimal ring extension \(R\subset T\), the crucial maximal ideal of the extension is also the critical ideal of the extension. For a ring extension \(R\subset T\) and \(P\in\) Spec\((R)\), the pair \((R,P)\) is called a \textit{valuation pair} of \(T\) if, for each \(t\in T\setminus R\), there exists \(c\in P\) such that \(ct\in R\setminus P\). This gives rise to a valuation map \(v:T\to G\), where \(G\) is a totally ordered Abelian group whose rank is the \textit{rank of the valuation pair} \((R,P)\). Finally, let \(R\subset T\) be a ring extension and \(I\) an ideal of \(R\) not contained in its nilradical. The \textit{generalized Kaplansky transform} \(\Psi_T(I)\) of \(I\) \textit{with respect to} \(T\) is the intersection \(\Psi_T(I)=\cap\{R_{<Q,T>}\mid I\not\subseteq Q\in\) Spec\((R)\}\), where \(R_{<Q,T>}:=\{t\in T\mid rt\in R\) for some \(r\in R\setminus Q\}\). Then, Theorem 3.5 shows that a ring extension \(R\subset T\) is a closed minimal extension if and only if there exists \( M\in\) Max\((R)\) such that \((R,M)\) is a rank 1 valuation pair of \(T\), if and only if \(R\subset T\) has a critical ideal \(M\) such that \(M\in\) Max\((R)\) and \(R+tR\) is invertible for each \(t\in T\setminus R\). Under these conditions, \(T=\Psi_T(M)\). (A similar results holds in Theorem 3.4 with \(R[u]\) instead of \(T\), for \(u\in T\setminus R\)). Moreover, \((R:T)\) is the prime ideal \(\cap\{I\subseteq M\mid I\) is \(M\)-primary and finitely generated\(\}\) (Corollary 3.9) and \(T\) is \(R\)-algebra isomorphic to a ring extension of \(R\) in the ring of finite fractions over \(R\) (Theorem 4.1). For a minimal integral extension \(R\subset T\), we have \(M:=(R:T)\in\) Max\((R)\). If Ann\((M)=0\), then \(T\) is \(R\)-algebra isomorphic to a ring extension of \(R\) in the complete ring of quotients of \(R\), and, according to \(M\) regular, semiregular or dense, \(T\) may be \(R\)-algebra isomorphic to a ring extension of \(R\) in the total quotient ring of \(R\), in the ring of finite fractions over \(R\) or in the complete ring of quotients of \(R\) (Theorem 4.4). In case \(M\neq 0\) has an annihilator \(x\in R\setminus M\), Theorem 4.6 shows that \(T\) takes one of the three different following forms (up to an \( R\)-algebra isomorphism): (i) \(M\times L\), where \(L\) is a minimal field extension of \(R/M\), (ii) \(R\times R/M\) and (iii) the idealization \(R(+)R/M\). Examples of integral minimal extensions illustrating each of the above cases end the paper with Section 6. At last, a transfer of the ``minimal extension'' property to Nagata rings is gotten in Section 5 in the sense that a ring extension \(R\subset T\) is minimal if and only if \(R(X)\subset T(X)\) is minimal.