Embedding cyclic and torsion-free modules in free modules (Q801003)

Several related problems about the embedding of certain modules (such as cyclic modules, finitely generated modules and finitely generated modules with respect to a Gabriel topology) in free modules are investigated. A ring is said to be left CF if every cyclic left module embeds in a free module. By results of \textit{C. Faith} and \textit{E. A. Walker} [J. Algebra 5, 203-221 (1967; Zbl 0173.03203)] a left and right CF ring is QF. Here it is shown that for a left CF ring R to be QF it is enough to assume either that every right ideal is an annihilator or that every finitely generated right ideal is the annihilator of a finite subset of R. On the other hand, if \({\mathcal F}\) is a left Gabriel topology on R, with associated left exact radical t, then it is shown that the following conditions are equivalent: (1) R is \({\mathcal F}\)-artinian and every \({\mathcal F}\)-finitely generated \({\mathcal F}\)-torsion-free module is cogenerated by R/t(R); (2) Every \({\mathcal F}\)-torsion-free injective module is \({\mathcal F}\)- codivisible. This result and several related ones, extend others due to \textit{R. W. Miller} and \textit{M. L. Teply} [Pac. J. Math. 83, 207-219 (1979; Zbl 0444.16017)] and when \({\mathcal F}\) is the trivial Gabriel topology of R, they yield new proofs of characterizations of QF rings due to E. A. Rutter jun. and C. Faith.