Noetherian Rings of Finite Global Dimension

Abstract

A commutative Noetherian local ring of finite global dimension is a regular local ring and the structure of such a ring is well described 1n many texts (see §1.9). It is perhaps surprising that very little seems to be known about the corresponding non-commutat1ve rings and it is our aim 1n this thesis to examine some of the ways in which the commutative theory can, and cannot be extended to a right Noetherian local ring of finite right global dimension. Chapter 1 contains basic definitions and, in Chapter 2, results are obtained on the projective and Injective dimensions of modules over right Noetherian local rings. Commutative regular local rings are domains and we begin Chapter 3 by considering the question of when a right Noetherian local ring R of finite right global dimension is a prime ring. An example of Stafford's shows that R is not necessarily prime; however, by examining the Nilpotent radical of R, we are able to extend results of Ramras [57] and Walker [75] and show that R is indeed prime when certain prime ideals are localisable. In Chapter 4 we consider the lattice of prime ideals of R when R is an AR-r1ng and provide theorems which generalise some of the basic results from the theory of commutative regular local rings. Section 4.3 contains examples which not only illustrate points arising in Chapters 3 and 4 but also show that some of the techniques which are mainstays of the commutative theory, fall dramatically in a non-commutat1ve setting. In Chapter 5, we generalise the concepts of regular sequences and Cohen Macaulay rings enabling us to prove, in §5.2 and chapter 6, that a right Noetherian local ring of finite right global dimension, which 1s integral over its centre, is a prime ring and exhibits many properties similar to those enjoyed by commutative regular local rings. Examples are provided which show that some alternative approaches are not applicable to the rings considered in these chapters. Regular local rings are Gorensteln rings and, as such, are the subject of an elegant structure theorem due to Bass [5]. In Chapter 7, we generalise his theorem to the situation of rings Integral over their centres. Each chapter begins with a summary of the results contained in that chapter.