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For a finite group of ring automorphisms the orbit polynomial is monic over the invariant subring, so the ring is integral over its invariants
Statement
Let be a finite group acting by ring automorphisms on a nonzero commutative ring , and let be the invariant subring (A group acting on a ring by automorphisms and its invariant subring). Extend the action to the polynomial ring coefficientwise, fixing . For put
Then is monic of degree , every coefficient of lies in , and . Consequently every element of is integral over (Integral elements over a commutative ring and algebraic integers).
Finiteness of is a hypothesis, not a convenience: the product is over the index set and is a polynomial only because that set is finite. The hypothesis is what makes , so that a monic polynomial exists at all.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A finite group acting by ring automorphisms on a nonzero commutative ring , an element , and the polynomial ring .
For an action of a group on a commutative ring by ring automorphisms, for every is a subring of , and each acts as a ring automorphism, so (A group acting on a ring by automorphisms and its invariant subring).
In a group every element has a two-sided inverse , and multiplication is associative (Group and abelian group).
A left action satisfies and for all and (Left group actions, transitive actions, and faithful actions).
is the set of finitely supported functions with and ; the constant is supported at and has coefficient at index (The polynomial ring over a commutative ring as finitely supported coefficient sequences with convolution).
For the degree is the largest index carrying a nonzero coefficient, the leading coefficient is the coefficient there, and is monic when that coefficient is (Degree, leading coefficient and monic polynomial, with the zero polynomial having no degree).
For nonzero : the coefficient of in is , and if then (Degree inequalities for sums and products over a commutative ring).
For commutative rings , a unital ring homomorphism and , there is a unique unital ring homomorphism extending on constants and sending to (Universal property of : a coefficient homomorphism and the image of determine a unique ring homomorphism).
The value of at along is , and is a root of when that value is (Evaluation and roots of a polynomial in a commutative target ring).
For a homomorphism of commutative rings , an element is integral over when it is a root of a monic polynomial in (Integral elements over a commutative ring and algebraic integers).
For a commutative ring , the polynomial ring is a commutative ring (Polynomial convolution makes a commutative ring containing as its constant subring).
Proof
For let act on by . This is additive because addition of polynomials is coefficientwise, multiplicative because by the ring-homomorphism property of on , and it sends to and to ; the action axioms are inherited coefficientwise, so this is again an action of by ring automorphisms, restricting to the given one on constants.
is monic of degree . Each factor is nonzero of degree with leading coefficient , because . Multiplying the factors one at a time: if is monic of degree then the coefficient of in is , so that product is nonzero, its degree is at most , and the nonvanishing coefficient at forces the degree to be exactly with leading coefficient . Since is finite and nonempty, the product over all of is monic of degree .
is fixed by the action. For , applying coefficientwise to a product is applying it to each factor, so ; the map is a bijection of onto itself, with inverse , so it merely permutes the factors of a product in the commutative ring and . Since the action on is coefficientwise, every coefficient of is fixed by every , that is, lies in .
. Evaluation at along the identity of is the unique unital ring homomorphism fixing constants and sending to , so it carries the product to . The factor indexed by the identity of is , and a product in a commutative ring with a zero factor is zero.
By step 2.2 all coefficients of lie in the subring , so is a polynomial in ; its leading coefficient is , so it is monic there as well, and by step 3.1 the element is a root of it. Hence is integral over , and since was arbitrary, is integral over .
Remarks
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The product is over the whole group, not over the orbit. Repeated factors are tolerated and are what keeps the degree equal to independently of the stabiliser of ; taking the product over the orbit would give a polynomial of varying degree and would need the orbit to be a set of distinct elements.
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Nothing is said about being large. For a faithful action with many invariants the polynomial is informative; for the trivial group it is and the statement is the tautology that every element of is integral over .
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Infinite gives nothing here. The construction produces no polynomial at all, since an infinite product of linear factors is not an element of , and the conclusion can fail.
Depends on
- A group acting on a ring by automorphisms and its invariant subring
- The polynomial ring over a commutative ring as finitely supported coefficient sequences with convolution
- Polynomial convolution makes $R[x]$ a commutative ring containing $R$ as its constant subring
- Degree, leading coefficient and monic polynomial, with the zero polynomial having no degree
- Degree inequalities for sums and products over a commutative ring
- Universal property of $R[x]$: a coefficient homomorphism and the image of $x$ determine a unique ring homomorphism
- Evaluation and roots of a polynomial in a commutative target ring
- Integral elements over a commutative ring and algebraic integers
- Group and abelian group
- Left group actions, transitive actions, and faithful actions
Used by
Dependency tree · two levels
24 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.
Sources
- M. Hochster, Introduction to Commutative Algebra, Math 614, Theorem 5.8 (standard reference, not scraped)
- A. Altman and S. Kleiman, A Term of Commutative Algebra, 13th ed., (16.22) (standard reference, not scraped)