On left Köthe rings and a generalization of a Köthe-Cohen-Kaplansky theorem

Abstract

In this paper, we obtain a partial solution to the following question of Köthe: For which rings R R is it true that every left (or both left and right) R R -module is a direct sum of cyclic modules? Let R R be a ring in which all idempotents are central. We prove that if R R is a left Köthe ring (i.e., every left R R -module is a direct sum of cyclic modules), then R R is an Artinian principal right ideal ring. Consequently, R R is a Köthe ring (i.e., each left and each right R R -module is a direct sum of cyclic modules) if and only if R R is an Artinian principal ideal ring. This is a generalization of a Köthe-Cohen-Kaplansky theorem.