Rings of square stable range one (Q663603)

A ring \(S\) is said to have square stable range one (written \(ssr(S)=1)\) if \(aS+bS=S\) implies that \(a^{2}+bx\) is a unit for some \(x\in S\). In the commutative case, this extends the class of rings of stable range 1 and allows many new examples such as rings of real-valued continuous functions and real holomorphy rings. On the other hand, \(ssr(S)=1\) sometimes forces \(S\) to have stable range 1. For instance, this is the case for exchange rings \(S,\) for which \(ssr(S)=1\) is characterized by \(S/\)rad\(S \) being reduced (or abelian, or right quasi-duo). The authors characterize rings \(S\) whose (von Neumann) regular elements are strongly regular, by using an element-wise notion of square stable range one. Extending a result of Estes and Ohm, they show that a possibly noncommutative infinite domain with stable range one or square stable range one must have a non-artinian group of units.