We solve a long-standing open problem, posed by Landweber in 1974: Let $R = K[x_1, x_2, . . . ]$ be the ring of polynomials in countably many variables over a field $K$. Is the formal power series ring $R[[t]]$ a unique factorization domain? We prove that it is. The proof is based on a new general result in commutative algebra: If $R$ is a Krull domain, and $f \in R[[t]]$ is irreducible, then $f$ is irreducible modulo a finite power of $t$.
Given a certain factorization property of a ring $R$, we can ask if this property extends to the polynomial ring over $R$ or vice versa. For example, it is well known that $R$ is a unique factorization domain if and only if $R[X]$ is a unique factorization domain. If $R$ is not a domain, this is no longer true. In this paper we survey unique factorization in commutative rings with zero divisors, and characterize when a polynomial ring over an arbitrary commutative ring has unique factorization.
Let $D$ be an integral domain. A nonzero nonunit $a$ of $D$ is called a valuation element if there is a valuation overring $V$ of $D$ such that $aV\cap D=aD$. We say that $D$ is a valuation factorization domain (VFD) if each nonzero nonunit of $D$ can be written as a finite product of valuation elements. In this paper, we study some ring-theoretic properties of VFDs. Among other things, we show that (i) a VFD $D$ is Schreier, and hence ${\rm Cl}_t(D)=\{0\}$, (ii) if $D$ is a P$v$MD, then $D$ is a VFD if and only if $D$ is a weakly Matlis GCD-domain, if and only if $D[X]$, the polynomial ring o…
The author introduces a conjecture about Makar-Limanov invariants of affine unique factorization domains over a field of characteristic zero. Then the author finds that the conjecture does not always hold when $\mathbbm{k}$ is not algebraically closed and gives some examples where the conjecture holds.
We show that, given integers $n_1,n_2, \ldots ,n_k$ with $2 < n_1 < n_2 < \cdots < n_k$, there exists a local (Noetherian) unique factorization domain that has maximal chains of prime ideals of lengths $n_1, n_2, \ldots ,n_k$ which are disjoint except at their minimal and maximal elements. In addition, we demonstrate that unique factorization domains can have other unusual prime ideal structures.
In this article, applying the quasi-Gorenstein analogous of the Ulrich's deformation of certain Gorenstein rings we show that some homological conjectures, including the Monomial Conjecture, Big Cohen-Macaulay Algebra Conjecture as well as the Small Cohen-Macaulay Conjecture reduce to the excellent unique factorization domains. Some other reductions of the Monomial Conjecture are also proved. We, moreover, show that certain almost complete intersections adhere the Monomial Conjecture.
We give several criteria for a ring to be a UFD including generalizations of some criteria due to P. Samuel. These criteria are applied to construct, for any field k, (1) a Z-graded non-noetherian rational UFD of dimension three over k, and (2) k-affine rational UFDs defined by trinomial relations.
Using polynomial evaluation, we give some useful criteria to answer questions about divisibility of polynomials. This allows us to develop interesting results concerning the prime elements in the domain of coefficients. In particular, it is possible to prove that under certain conditions, the domain of coefficients must have infinitely many prime elements. We give alternative characterizations for D-rings and present various examples.
The two-dimensional Jacobian Conjecture says that a $\mathbb{C}$-algebra endomorphism $F:\mathbb{C}[x,y] \to \mathbb{C}[x,y]$ that has an invertible Jacobian is an automorphism. We show that if a $\mathbb{C}$-algebra endomorphism $F:\mathbb{C}[x,y] \to \mathbb{C}[x,y]$ has an invertible Jacobian and if $v \in \mathbb{C}[F(x),F(y),x]$ is a product of prime elements of $\mathbb{C}[F(x),F(y),x]$, then $F$ is an automorphism, where $v$ is such that $y = u/v$, where $u \in \mathbb{C}[F(x),F(y),x]$.
Let T be a complete local (Noetherian) equidimensional ring with maximal ideal m such that the Krull dimension of T is at least two and the depth of T is at least two. Suppose that no integer of T is a zerodivisor and that |T|=|T/m|. Let d and t be integers such that 1 $\leq$ d $\leq$ dimT-1, 0 $\leq$ t $\leq$ dimT - 1, and d - 1 $\leq$ t. Assume that, for every p in AssT, ht(p) $\leq$ d-1 and that if z is a regular element of T and Q is in Ass(T/zT), then ht(Q) $\leq$ d. We construct a local unique factorization domain A such that the completion of A is T and such that the dimension of the fo…
We investigate non-unique factorization of polynomials in Z_{p^n}[x] into irreducibles. As a Noetherian ring whose zero-divisors are contained in the Jacobson radical, Z_{p^n}[x] is atomic. We reduce the question of factoring arbitrary non-zero polynomials into irreducibles to the problem of factoring monic polynomials into monic irreducibles. The multiplicative monoid of monic polynomials of Z_{p^n}[x] is a direct sum of monoids corresponding to irreducible polynomials in Z_p[x], and we show that each of these monoids has infinite elasticity. Moreover, for every positive integer m, there exis…
We construct normal hypersurfaces whose local cohomology modules have infinitely many associated primes. These include unique factorization domains of characteristic zero with rational singularities, as well as F-regular unique factorization domains of positive characteristic. As a consequence, we answer a question on the associated primes of Frobenius powers of ideals, which arose from the localization problem in tight closure theory.
For a commutative domain $R$ with nonzero identity and $I$ an ideal of $R$, we say $a=λb_1 \cdots b_k$ is a $τ_I$-factorization of $a$ if $λ\in R$ is a unit and $b_i \equiv b_j$(mod $I$) for all $1\leq i \leq j \leq k$. These factorizations are nonunique, and two factorizations of the same element may have different lengths. In this paper, we determine the smallest quotient $R/I$ where $R$ is a unique factorization domain, $I\subset R$ an ideal, and $R$ contains an element with atomic $τ_I$-factorizations of different lengths. In fact, for $R=\mathbb{Z}[x]$ and $I = (2,x^2+x)$, we can find a s…
Additive submonoids of $\mathbb{Q}_{\ge 0}$, also known as Puiseux monoids, are not unique factorization monoids (UFMs) in general. Indeed, the only unique factorization Puiseux monoids are those generated by one element. However, even if a Puiseux monoid is not a UFM, it may contain nonzero elements having exactly one factorization. We call such elements molecules. Molecules were first investigated by W. Narkiewicz in the context of algebraic number theory. More recently, F. Gotti and the first author studied molecules in the context of Puiseux monoids. Here we address some aspects related to…
We find necessary and sufficient conditions for a complete local (Noetherian) ring to be the completion of an uncountable local (Noetherian) domain with a countable spectrum. Our results suggest that uncountable local domains with countable spectra are more common than previously thought. We also characterize completions of uncountable excellent local domains with countable spectra assuming the completion contains the rationals, completions of uncountable local unique factorization domains with countable spectra, completions of uncountable noncatenary local domains with countable spectra, and …
We introduce and investigate the category of factorization of a multiplicative, commutative, cancellative, pre-ordered monoid $A$, which we denote $\mathcal{F}(A)$. The objects of $\mathcal{F}(A)$ are factorizations of elements of $A$, and the morphisms in $\mathcal{F}(A)$ encode combinatorial similarities and differences between the factorizations. We pay particular attention to the divisibility pre-order and to the monoid $A=D\setminus\{0\}$ where $D$ is an integral domain. Among other results, we show that $\mathcal{F}(A)$ is a symmetric and strict monoidal category with weak equivalences a…
The article gives a ring theoretic perspective on cluster algebras. Geiß-Leclerc-Schröer prove that all cluster variables in a cluster algebra are irreducible elements. Furthermore, they provide two necessary conditions for a cluster algebra to be a unique factorization domain, namely the irreducibility and the coprimality of the initial exchange polynomials. We present a sufficient condition for a cluster algebra to be a unique factorization domain in terms of primary decompositions of certain ideals generated by initial cluster variables and initial exchange polynomials. As an application, t…
In an additive factorial monoid each element can be represented as a linear combination of irreducible elements (atoms) with uniquely determined coefficients running over all natural numbers. In this paper we develop for a wide class of non-factorial monoids a concept of stratification for atoms which allows to represent each element as a linear combination of atoms where the coefficients are uniquely determined when restricted in a particular way. This wide class includes inside factorial monoids and in particular simplicial affine semigroups. In the latter case the question of uniqueness is …
