Some model theory of modules. II. on stability and categoricity of flat modules

Abstract

This is the second part of a study on model theory of modules begun in [RO]. Throughout, I refer to that paper as “Part I”. I observed there a coincidence between some algebraic and logical points of view in the theory of modules, which led to a convenient representation of p.p. definable sets in flat modules (§1); it becomes especially nice in the case of regular rings (cf. Remark 7 in Part I). Using this in the present paper I obtain a simplified criterion for total transcendence and superstability in the case of flat modules. This enables me to give, besides partial results for arbitrary flat modules (§2), a complete description of the stability classes for modules over regular rings (§3). Particularly, it turns out that a totally transcendental module over a regular ring can be regarded as a module over a semisimple ring (cf. Remark 10 in Part I). This is the crucial observation for the examination of categoricity here: By Morley's theorem, a countable ℵ1-categorical theory is totally transcendental. Consequently, an ℵ1-categorical module over a countable regular ring can be regarded as a module over a semisimple ring. That is why I separately treat categoricity of modules over semisimple rings (§4), even without any assumption on the power of the ring. As a consequence I obtain a complete description of ℵ1-categorical modules over countable regular rings (§5). In the investigation presented here the main tool is the technique of idempotents avoiding the commutativity assumption made in the corresponding results of Garavaglia [GA 1, pp. 86–88], who used maximal ideals for that purpose. At the end of the present paper I show how to derive these latter results in our context.On the way I simplify the known criterion for elementary equivalence for modules over regular rings (§3), which simplifies again in case of semisimple rings (§4). Such a criterion is needed in order to construct Vaughtian pairs (in the categoricity consideration) and it turns out to be useful also for another purpose treated in the third part of this series of papers.