[Math] Characterize the commutative rings with trivial group of units

abstract-algebracommutative-algebra

This question suggested me the following:

Characterize the commutative unitary rings $R$ with trivial group of units, that is, $R^{\times}=\{1\}$.

The local case was solved here long time ago and it's very simple. In general, such a ring must have characteristic $2$ and the Jacobson radical $J(R)=(0)$. At present I know two classes of examples: direct products of $\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z$ and polynomial rings over $\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z$.

(One can also ask for such a characterization in the non-commutative case, but I'm primarily interested in the commutative setting.)

Best Answer

This is only a partial answer, to record some thoughts:

If $R$ is semilocal, i.e. has only finitely many maximal ideals (in particular, if $R$ is finite), then one can characterize these rings as precisely the finite products of copies of $\mathbb{F}_2$. If $R$ is semilocal, then any surjection $R \twoheadrightarrow R/I$ induces a surjection on unit groups $R^\times \twoheadrightarrow (R/I)^\times$ (see here for proof). In particular, for any maximal ideal $m$ of $R$, $R/m$ is a field with only one unit, hence must be $\mathbb{F}_2$. Since the Jacobson radical of $R$ is $0$, there is an isomorphism $R \cong \prod_{m \in \text{mSpec}(R)} R/m = \prod \mathbb{F}_2$ by Chinese Remainder, and conversely any finite product of $\mathbb{F}_2$'s does indeed have only one unit.

If there are infinitely many maximal ideals, then it is not clear if every residue field at a maximal ideal is $\mathbb{F}_2$. If this is the case though, then although Chinese remainder fails, one can still realize $R$ as a subring of a product of copies of $\mathbb{F}_2$, so we get a characterization in this case. Thus:

If $R$ is a subring of a direct product of copies of $\mathbb{F}_2$, then $R$ has trivial unit group. The converse holds if every maximal ideal of $R$ has index $2$; in particular it holds if $R$ is semilocal.

Update: There are more examples of such rings than products of $\mathbb{F}_2$ or polynomial rings over $\mathbb{F}_2$ though. If $S = \mathbb{F}_2[x_1, \ldots]$ is a polynomial ring over $\mathbb{F}_2$ (in any number of variables) then for any homogeneous prime ideal $P \subseteq S$ (necessarily contained in the irrelevant ideal $(x_1, \ldots)$), the ring $S/P$ has trivial unit group. Since the property of having trivial unit group passes to products and subrings, the same holds if $P$ is only assumed to be radical (and still homogeneous).

Conversely, any ring $R$ with trivial unit group is a reduced $\mathbb{F}_2$-algebra, hence has a presentation $R \cong \mathbb{F}_2[x_1, \ldots]/I$, where $I$ is radical. We can even realize it as a demohogenization $R \cong (\mathbb{F}_2[t, x_1, \ldots]/J)/(t-1)$, where $J$ is a homogeneous radical ideal. Thus if any dehomogenization (at a variable) of a ring of the form $S/I$, where $I$ is a homogeneous radical ideal, has trivial unit group, this would yield a characterization. This in turn is equivalent to asking whether or not the multiplicative set $1 + (t - 1)$ is saturated in $S/I$ (at this point, I must leave this line of reasoning as is, but would welcome any feedback).

Update 2: Upon reflection, it's easy to see that not every dehomogenization of a graded reduced $\mathbb{F}_2$-algebra will have trivial unit group, i.e. for $\mathbb{F}_2[t,x,y]/(xy - t^2)$, setting $t = 1$ gives $\mathbb{F}_2[x,y]/(xy - 1)$ which has nontrivial units. I'll have to think a little more about the right strengthening of the condition on $I$.

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