Cancellation properties for quotient divisible groups. (Q2466514)

The paper deals with Abelian groups and concepts surrounding the uniqueness or non-unique\-ness of direct decompositions. Concepts that appear and deal with decompositions are ``essentially indecomposable'', ``strongly essentially indecomposable'', ``1 is in the stable range of the ring \(R\)'' (the ring being an endomorphism ring or a variant thereof), ``the 1-substitution property of a module \(M\)'', ``the cancellation property of a module \(M\) in a class of modules'', ``the unit lifting property of a ring \(R\) (from \(R/nR\) to \(R\))''. The authors goal is to extend results from torsion-free groups to mixed groups. This, of course, is only possible for special classes of mixed groups. Classes of groups that make their appearance are the class \(\mathcal S\) of ``self-small groups'', the subclass \(\mathcal D\) of ``quotient divisible groups'', the class \(\mathcal G\) consisting of certain groups \(G\) with \(\text{T}(G)=\bigoplus_p\text{T}_p(G)\subseteq G\subseteq\prod_p\text{T}_p(G)\) such that \(G/\text{T}(G)\) is divisible. Furthermore, certain categories of Abelian groups show up, such as the quasi-isomorphism category and the category Walk. Sample results are as follows. Theorem~2.1. Let \(A\) be a self-small group. Then \(1\) is in the stable range of \(\text{End}(A)\) if and only if \(1\) is in the stable range of \(\text{End}(A)/\text{T}(\text{End}(A))\). Theorem~2.3. Let \(A\in\mathcal S\) be strongly essentially indecomposable. Then \(1\) is in the stable range of \(\text{End}(A)\) if and only if \(\text{End}(A)/\text{T}(\text{End}(A))\) has the unit lifting property. Theorem~3.4. Let \(A\) be a reduced strongly essentially indecomposable quotient divisible group. Then \(A\) has the cancellation property with respect to the class of quotient divisible groups if and only if \(1\) is in the stable range of \(\text{End}(A)/\text{T}(\text{End}(A))\) or \(A\cong\mathbb{Z}\oplus B\) with \(B\) a finite group.