Separable bimodules and approximation. (Q816638)

In the first part of the paper the authors give characterizations and new constructions of separable and biseparable bimodules. For example, it is shown that a direct sum of a separable bimodule with any bimodule is a separable bimodule. Furthermore, a bimodule is separable if and only if a direct sum of any finite number of copies of \(M\) is separable. If \(_TM_R\) is separable and \(_SX_R\) is biseparable, then \(\Hom_R(M,X)\) is a separable \(T\)-\(S\) bimodule. The second part of the paper deals with representation theoretic properties of rings connected by a (bi)separable bimodule. The properties covered include contravariant finiteness of the categories of (finitely generated) left modules with finite projective dimension, finitistic dimensions, representation types, Auslander algebra properties. For example it is proven that if \(T/R\) is a biseparable extension of Artin algebras, then \(T\) is an Auslander algebra if and only if \(R\) is an Auslander algebra. If finite dimensional algebras \(T\) and \(R\) over an algebraically closed field admit a biseparable bimodule \(_TM_R\), then \(R\) is of finite (resp.\ tame and infinite, resp.\ wild) representation type if and only if \(T\) is of finite (resp.\ tame and infinite, resp.\ wild) representation type. -- Finally it is shown that separable functors reflect approximations.