Flat module

An $R$-module $M$ is flat when tensoring with it preserves injections, equivalently when $-{\otimes }_{R}M$ is an exact functor.

For $D=k[\epsilon ]/({\epsilon }^2)$, a module $M$ is a flat module exactly when $\ker (\epsilon :M\to M)=\epsilon M$. Flatness implies this by tensoring the exact sequence $0\to (\epsilon )\to D\to k\to 0$. Conversely lift a $k$-basis of $M/\epsilon M$ to $M$. Every element is a finite combination of the lifts plus $\epsilon$ times another such combination, proving generation over $D$. A relation first reduces to zero coefficients modulo $\epsilon$; the kernel condition then reduces its remaining coefficients to zero as well. The lifts form a free $D$-basis, proving flatness.

For a flat module $M$ over a commutative ring, every finite relation among elements of $M$ is a finite combination of relations among elements of the ring itself, in the displayed sense. To obtain this, tensor the kernel of the linear map $A^r\to A$, $(u_i)\mapsto {\sum }_i{a}_i{u}_i$, with $M$. Flatness says that this tensor maps onto the kernel in $M^r$. Writing an element of that tensor as a finite sum gives the columns $b_{ij}$ and the elements $n_j$. The converse follows by applying this condition to relations in a tensor product to prove that tensoring preserves injections.

For a free module $F={⨁}_{i\in J}A{e}_i$, the natural map $U{\otimes }_{A}F\to {⨁}_{i\in J}U$ sends $u\otimes {\sum }_i{a}_i{e}_i$ to $(a_{i}u{)}_i$ and is an isomorphism, with inverse sending the tuple $(u_i)$ to ${\sum }_i{u}_i\otimes e_i$. For any injection $U\hookrightarrow V$, its tensor product of modules with $F$ is therefore the coordinatewise injection ${⨁}_{J}U\hookrightarrow {⨁}_{J}V$. Thus every free module is flat, including those of infinite rank.

If $F=P\oplus Q$ is a flat module, then $P$ and $Q$ are flat. For an injection $u:U\hookrightarrow V$, distributivity of the tensor product of modules identifies $u\otimes F$ with $(u\otimes P)\oplus (u\otimes Q)$. This map is injective by flatness of $F$. Each component is therefore injective, proving flatness of both summands.

The arrow is the canonical multiplication map, not an arbitrary abstract module isomorphism. Its inclusion into $M$ is ${\mu }_I:I{\otimes }_{A}M\to M$. Dualizing identifies ${\mu }_I^{\ast }$ with the restriction ${\mathrm{Hom}}_A(A,M^{\ast })\to {\mathrm{Hom}}_A(I,M^{\ast })$. All these maps are surjective precisely when $M^{\ast }$ is injective, by the Baer criterion. The injective cogenerator of abelian groups detects injectivity of ${\mu }_I$, and the Lambek theorem gives flatness. No Noetherian or finite-generation hypothesis is needed.

A module over a commutative ring is flat exactly when its character module is injective. For a submodule inclusion $N^{\prime }\hookrightarrow N$, the character adjunction identifies restriction ${\mathrm{Hom}}_A(N,M^{\ast })\to {\mathrm{Hom}}_A(N^{\prime },M^{\ast })$ with the dual of $N^{\prime }{\otimes }_{A}M\to N{\otimes }_{A}M$. The injective cogenerator of abelian groups detects whether the latter map is injective. Thus the two extension/exactness conditions are equivalent.

A flat module $M$ is faithfully flat when $N{\otimes }_{R}M=0$ implies $N=0$. Every field extension is faithfully flat over its base field.

An $R$-module $M$ is flat if and only if $M_{\mathfrak{p}}$ is flat over $R_{\mathfrak{p}}$ for every prime ideal $\mathfrak{p}$, equivalently for every maximal ideal.

Over a principal ideal domain, a module is flat exactly when it is torsion-free. Hence the tensor product of two torsion-free modules over a principal ideal domain is torsion-free: both tensor functors are exact, so their composite is exact.

If an $R$-algebra $A$ is flat as an $R$-module, then for ideals $I,J\subseteq R$,Tensor the exact sequence $0\to I\cap J\to I\oplus J\to I+J\to 0$ with $A$.

A nonzero commutative ring $R$ has the property that $M{\otimes }_{R}N=0$ forces $M=0$ or $N=0$ exactly when $R$ is local with maximal ideal $\mathfrak{m}$ and $M=\mathfrak{m}M$ forces $M=0$ for every $R$-module. Reduction modulo $\mathfrak{m}$ turns a tensor product into a tensor product of vector spaces.