Maximal Quotient Rings and S-Rings

Abstract

Throughout, we assume all rings are associative with identity and all modules are unitary. See [7] for undefined terms and [3] for all homological concepts.Let R be a ring, E(R) the injective envelope of RR, and H =HomR(E(R),E(R)). Then we obtain a bimodule RE(R)H. Let Q = HomH(E(R), E(R)). Q is called the maximal left quotient ring of R. Q has the property that if p, q ∈ Q, p ≠ 0, then there exists r ∈ R such that rp ≠ 0, rq ∈ R, i.e., Q is a ring of left quotients of R.A left ideal I of R is dense if for every x,y ∈ R,x ≠ 0, there exists r ∈ R such that rx ≠ 0, ry ∈ I. An alternate description of Q is Q = {x ∈ E(RR) : (R : x) is a dense left ideal of R{, where (R : x) = {r ∈ R : rx ∈ R}.The left singular ideal of R is Zl(R) = {r ∈ R : lR(r) is an essential left ideal of R}, where lR(r) = {x ∈ R : xr = 0}. If Zl(R) = (0), then Q is a left self-injective von Neumann regular ring [7, § 4.5]. Most of the previous work on maximal left quotient rings has been done in this case.