On Clifford systems and generalized crossed products (Q795133)

A Clifford system for a group G is a ring R such that \(R=\sum_{x\in G}R_ x\) for additive subgroups \(R_ x\subset R\), \(x\in G\), satisfying \(R_ xR_ y=R_{xy}\) for all x,\(y\in G\). If the above sum is direct, then R is called a strongly graded ring of type G. In the first part of this article, versions of the classical theorems of Maschke and Clifford about group algebras of finite groups are proved in the more general setting of Clifford systems. (The extension of Clifford's theorem contains a minor error.) Moreover, for R strongly graded of type G with \(| G|^{-1}\in R\), it is shown that the Jacobson radicals of R and the identity component \(R_ e\) are related by \(J(R)=RJ(R_ e),\quad J(R_ e)=R_ e\cap J(R).\) The second half of the article is mostly concerned with Azumaya algebras. For example, the following result is proved (in a somewhat more general form than stated here): Let A be an Azumaya algebra over the commutative ring R and suppose that A contains a Galois extension (in the sense of \textit{S. U. Chase}, \textit{D. K. Harrison}, \textit{A. Rosenberg} [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 52, 15-33 (1965; Zbl 0143.05902)]) S of R as a maximal commutative subring. Then A is strongly graded by the group G of S over R, with identity component \(A_ e=S\).