Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2005 / iii / Paper 85 / 6 / a / Solution

This part proves $(c)\Rightarrow (a)$. Write the Weyl algebra generators as $x_1,\dots ,x_n,D_1,\dots ,D_n$, with $[D_i,x_j]={\delta }_{ij}$ and the other generator commutators zero. The ordered monomials $x^{\alpha }{D}^{\beta }$ form a basis over any field: one may construct the algebra by successively adjoining the commuting derivations $D_i$ to $k[x_1,\dots ,x_n]$, with multiplication $D_{i}f=f{D}_i+\partial f/\partial x_i$, obtaining unique ordered forms. This also makes $A_n(k)$ infinite-dimensional for $n\ge 1$.

Assume $\mathrm{char}k=0$ and let $I$ be a nonzero two-sided ideal. Choose a nonzero element $a=\sum c_{\alpha \beta }{x}^{\alpha }{D}^{\beta }\in I$, and a nonzero term of maximal total degree, say $({\alpha }_0,{\beta }_0)$. The relations giveApply $(\mathrm{ad}D{)}^{{\alpha }_0}(\mathrm{ad}x{)}^{{\beta }_0}$ to $a$. Every lower-degree term vanishes. A term of the same degree survives only if all its exponents dominate $({\alpha }_0,{\beta }_0)$, which forces equality. Thus the resulting element of $I$ isThe factorials are nonzero in characteristic zero. This is a nonzero scalar, so $1\in I$ and $I=A_n(k)$. Therefore $A_n(k)$ is simple in characteristic zero. This scalar extraction by iterated Weyl commutators supplies the full simplicity proof.