On zero divisors with small support in group rings of torsion-free groups.

DOI10.1515/JGT-2013-0017zbMATH Open1292.20007arXiv1202.6645OpenAlexW2963474976MaRDI QIDQ2873307FDOQ2873307

Authors: P. Schweitzer 

Publication date: 23 January 2014

Published in: Journal of Group Theory (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Kaplanski's Zero Divisor Conjecture envisions that for a torsion-free group G and an integral domain R, the group ring R[G] does not contain non-trivial zero divisors. We define the length of an element a in R[G] as the minimal non-negative integer k for which there are ring elements r_1,...,r_k in R and group elements g_1,...,g_k in G such that a = r_1 g_1+...+r_k g_k. We investigate the conjecture when R is the field of rational numbers. By a reduction to the finite field with two elements, we show that if ab = 0 for non-trivial elements in the group ring of a torsion-free group over the rationals, then the lengths of a and b cannot be among certain combinations. More precisely, we show for various pairs of integers (i,j) that if one of the lengths is at most i then the other length must exceed j. Using combinatorial arguments we show this for the pairs (3,6) and (4,4). With a computer-assisted approach we strengthen this to show the statement holds for the pairs (3,16) and (4,7). As part of our method, we describe a combinatorial structure, which we call matched rectangles, and show that for these a canonical labeling can be computed in quadratic time. Each matched rectangle gives rise to a presentation of a group. These associated groups are universal in the sense that there is no counterexample to the conjecture among them if and only if the conjecture is true over the rationals.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1202.6645

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zbMATH Keywords

group ringstorsion-free groupsKaplansky conjecturezero divisor conjecture

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Symbolic computation and algebraic computation (68W30) Group rings (16S34) Computational aspects of associative rings (general theory) (16Z05) Group rings of infinite groups and their modules (group-theoretic aspects) (20C07)

Cited In (9)

• Units, zero-divisors and idempotents in rings graded by torsion-free groups
• Small sets without unique products in torsion-free groups
• Cardinality of product sets in torsion-free groups and applications in group algebras
• Zero divisors of support size 3 in group algebras and trinomials divided by irreducible polynomials over GF(2)
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• On Zero-divisors in Group Rings of Groups with Torsion
• On zero-divisors in reduced group rings over ordered groups
• Zero divisor and unit elements with supports of size 4 in group algebras of torsion-free groups
• Zero divisors and units with small supports in group algebras of torsion-free groups

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• nauty

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