Rings with involution whose symmetric elements are G-invertible (Q800452)

This paper concerns the structure of rings with involution in which elements have generalized inverses. Let R denote a ring with involution, \({}^*\), and let \(S=\{r\in R| r^*=r\}.\) Call R a G-ring if for each \(x\in R\) there is \(y\in R\) with \(xyx=x\), \(yxy=y\), \((xy)^*=xy\), and \((yx)^*=yx\); and call R a GS-ring if these four conditions hold for each \(x\in S\) and some \(y\in S\). The first theorems show that a prime GS- ring must be \(M_ 2(F)\), for F a field, or must satisfy: \(xx^*=0\) implies \(x=0\); and that R is a G-ring if and only if R is a GS-ring and \(xx^*=0\) implies \(x=0\). The main result is that if R is a GS-ring so that every \({}^*\)-homomorphic image of R is 2-torsion free, then \(J^ 3=0\), where J is the Jacobson radical of R, and R/J is a subdirect product of \({}^*\)-primitive GS-rings, each of which is either a division ring, a direct sum of a division ring and its opposite, or \(M_ 2(F)\). The proof given by the author actually shows that the theorem holds assuming only that R is a 2-torsion free GS-ring. The paper ends with a result on the structure of a G-ring whose symmetric elements commute.