Rings in which every element is either a sum or a difference of a nilpotent and an idempotent

Abstract

Generalizing the notion of nil-cleanness from [A. J. Diesl, Nil clean rings, J. Algebra 383 (2013) 197–211], in parallel to [P. V. Danchev and W. Wm. McGovern, Commutative weakly nil clean unital rings, J. Algebra 425 (2015) 410–422], we define the concept of weak nil-cleanness for an arbitrary ring. Its comprehensive study in different ways is provided as well. A decomposition theorem of a weakly nil-clean ring is obtained. It is completely characterized when an abelian ring is weakly nil-clean. It is also completely determined when a matrix ring over a division ring is weakly nil-clean.