On the FIP Property for Extensions of Commutative Rings

Abstract

ABSTRACT A (unital) extension R ⊆ T of (commutative) rings is said to have FIP (respectively be a minimal extension) if there are only finitely many (respectively no) rings S such that R ⊂ S ⊂ T. Transfer results for the FIP property for extensions of Nagata rings are obtained, including the following fact: if R ⊂ T is a (module-) finite minimal ring extension, then R(X)⊂T(X) also is a (module-) finite minimal ring extension. The assertion obtained by replacing "is a (module-) finite minimal ring extension" with "has FIP" is valid if R is an infinite field but invalid if R is a finite field. A generalization of the Primitive Element Theorem is obtained by characterizing, for any field (more generally, any artinian reduced ring) R, the ring extensions R ⊆ T which have FIP; and, if R is any field K, by describing all possible structures of the (necessarily minimal) ring extensions appearing in any maximal chain of intermediate rings between K and any such T. Transfer of the FIP and "minimal extension" properties is given for certain pullbacks, with applications to constructions such as CPI-extensions. Various sufficient conditions are given for a ring extension of the form R ⊆ R[u], with u a nilpotent element, to have or not have FIP. One such result states that if R is a residually finite integral domain that is not a field and u is a nilpotent element belonging to some ring extension of R, then R ⊆ R[u] has FIP if and only if (0 : u) ≠ 0. The rings R having only finitely many unital subrings are studied, with complete characterizations being obtained in the following cases: char(R)>0; R an integral domain of characteristic 0; and R a (module-)finite extension of ℤ which is not an integral domain. In particular, a ring of the last-mentioned type has only finitely many unital subrings if and only if (ℤ:R)≠0. Some results are also given for the residually FIP property. Key Words: AnnihilatorFIP propertyMinimal ring extensionNagata ringNilpotent elementPullbackMathematics Subject Classification: Primary 13B21, 12F05Secondary 13E10, 13F20 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The second author would like to thank the Laboratoire de Mathématiques Pures of Université Blaise Pascal for the generous hospitality and support during the summer of 2003. Notes # Communicated by I. Swanson.