On directly finite regular rings (Q923692)

In [Commun. Algebra 3, 797-834 (1975; Zbl 0311.16029); Problem 4, p. 832], the reviewer and \textit{D. Handelman} asked for necessary and sufficient conditions on a (von Neumann) regular ring R such that the maximal right quotient ring of R is left (as well as right) self- injective. It is not sufficient just to get the maximal right quotient ring of R to be directly finite, in view of the author's recent example of a directly finite right self-injective regular ring which is not left self-injective [On existence of directly finite, only one-sided self- injective regular rings, to appear in J. Algebra]. Here the author provides an ideal-theoretic answer to the question above. A key ingredient is the result that if R is a directly finite right self- injective regular ring, then the maximal left quotient ring of R is self- injective on both sides. This was first established by \textit{S. Kobayashi} in the case that R has a rank function N such that sup\(\{\) N(x)\(|\) \(x\in J\}=1\) for every essential right ideal J of R [Osaka J. Math. 26, 225-228 (1989; Zbl 0702.16004)].