Local dimension theory of tensor products of algebras over a ring

Abstract

Our main goal in this paper is to set the general frame for studying the dimension theory of tensor products of algebras over an arbitrary ring [Formula: see text]. Actually, we translate the theory initiated by Grothendieck and Sharp and subsequently developed by Wadsworth on Krull dimension of tensor products of algebras over a field [Formula: see text] into the general setting of algebras over an arbitrary ring [Formula: see text]. For this sake, we introduce and study the notion of a fibered AF-ring over a ring [Formula: see text]. This concept extends naturally the notion of AF-ring over a field introduced by Wadsworth in [The Krull dimension of tensor products of commutative algebras over a field, J. London Math. Soc. 19 (1979) 391–401.] to algebras over arbitrary rings. We prove that Wadsworth theorems express local properties related to the fiber rings of tensor products of algebras over a ring. Also, given a triplet of rings [Formula: see text] consisting of two [Formula: see text]-algebras [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text], we introduce the inherent notion to [Formula: see text] of a [Formula: see text]-fibered AF-ring which allows to compute the Krull dimension of all fiber rings of the considered tensor product [Formula: see text]. As an application, we provide a formula for the Krull dimension of [Formula: see text] when either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] is zero-dimensional as well as for the Krull dimension of [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text] is a fibered AF-ring over the ring of integers [Formula: see text] with nonzero characteristic and [Formula: see text] is an arbitrary ring. This enables us to answer a question of Jorge Martinez on evaluating the Krull dimension of [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text] is a Boolean ring. Actually, we prove that if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are rings such that [Formula: see text] is not trivial and [Formula: see text] is a Boolean ring, then dim[Formula: see text].