Herstein's question about simple rings with involution

arXiv1210.3353MaRDI QIDQ6236301FDOQ6236301

Vered Moskowicz

Publication date: 11 October 2012

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to try to answer Herstein's question concerning simple rings with involution, namely: If $R$ is a simple ring with an involution of the first kind, with $di{m}_{Z(R)}R>4$ and $Char(Z(R))eq2$, is it true that $S^2=R$? We shall see that in such a ring $R$, $R=S^3$. We shall bring two possible criteria, each shows when $R=S^2$. The first criterion: There exist $x,yinS$ such that $xy-yxeq0$ and $xSysubseteq{S}^2$ $Leftrightarrow$ $S^2=R$. The second criterion: There exist $x,yinS$ such that $xy+yxeq0$ and $xKysubseteq{S}^2$ $Leftrightarrow$ $S^2=R$. Actually, those results are true without any restriction on the dimension of $R$ over $Z(R)$. In the special case of matrices (with the transpose involution and with the symplectic involution) over a field of characteristic not equal to 2, it is not difficult to find, for example, $x,yinS$ such that $xy-yxeq0$ and for every $sinS$, $xsyin{S}^2$. Therefore, proving Herstein's remark that for matrices the answer is known to be positive. Similar results for $K^6$, $K^4$, $K+KSK$, $KS+K^2$, $SKS$ and $S^{2}K$ can also be found.

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