Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2006 / iii / Paper 2 / 5 / Solution

The prime radical of a noncommutative ring is $N(R)={\bigcap }_{P}P$, with $P$ ranging over all prime ideals of a noncommutative ring. Here primeness means that for two-sided ideals $A,B$, $AB\subseteq P$ implies $A\subseteq P$ or $B\subseteq P$. A minimal prime over an ideal $I$ is a prime ideal containing $I$ with no strictly smaller prime ideal containing $I$.

The ascending chain condition on left ideals also applies to two-sided ideals. We first prove by Noetherian induction that every proper $I$ contains a finite product of prime ideals, each containing $I$. If there were counterexamples, choose a maximal one. It is not prime, so there are strictly larger two-sided ideals $A,B$ with $AB\subseteq I$. Neither is a counterexample; products of prime ideals contained in $A$ and in $B$ then concatenate to a product contained in $I$, a contradiction.

Write $P_1\cdots P_t\subseteq I\subseteq P_j$. Every prime ideal $P$ over $I$ contains at least one $P_j$, by primeness. The inclusion-minimal members of the finite list $P_j$ are therefore precisely the minimal primes over an ideal $I$: any smaller prime over $I$ would contain a member of that same list. Consequently there are finitely many. Replacing each factor $P_j$ by a minimal prime contained in it giveswith each $Q_j$ minimal over $I$. Repeated factors may be necessary; in $k[\epsilon ]/({\epsilon }^m)$ the sole minimal prime $(\epsilon )$ requires its $m$th power to reach zero.

Apply this to $I=0$. Since $N(R)\subseteq Q_j$ for every $j$,Thus the prime radical is a nilpotent ideal, as in finite minimal primes and nilpotent prime radical.

Now assume $R$ is commutative. A prime ideal $P$ is an associated prime of a module $M$ when $P={\mathrm{Ann}}_R(m)$ for some $0\ne m\in M$. Every nonzero module over $R$ has an associated prime: the ascending chain condition gives a maximal annihilator of a nonzero element, and maximal annihilator of a module element is prime.

Since the given $M$ is a Noetherian module, repeatedly choosing such a cyclic submodule in the next quotient yields a finite prime filtrationThe process terminates by the ascending chain condition. In a short exact sequence $0\to U\to M\to W\to 0$, one has $\mathrm{Ass}(M)\subseteq \mathrm{Ass}(U)\cup \mathrm{Ass}(W)$. Indeed, if $P=\mathrm{Ann}(m)$ and $Rm\cap U=0$, the image of $m$ in $W$ still has annihilator $P$. Otherwise choose $0\ne am\in U$; then $a\notin P$, and primeness gives $\mathrm{Ann}(am)=P$. As $\mathrm{Ass}(R/P_i)=\{P_i\}$, induction along the prime filtration provesIn particular there are only finitely many associated primes of a module.

Finally let $P$ be a minimal prime ideal of $R$. Its localization at a prime ideal $R_P$ has exactly one prime, its maximal ideal $P{R}_P$. The preceding nilpotence result makes this maximal ideal nilpotent. Choose $0\ne y\in R_P$ annihilated by $P{R}_P$, for example a nonzero element in its last nonzero power, or $1$ if $P{R}_P=0$. Since elements outside the maximal ideal are units, ${\mathrm{Ann}}_{R_P}(y)=P{R}_P$.

Write $y=r/s$. The element $r/1$ is nonzero and also has annihilator $P{R}_P$. Generate $P$ by $p_1,\dots ,p_{\ell }$. For each $i$, choose $u_i\notin P$ with $u_i{p}_{i}r=0$, and put $u={\prod }_i{u}_i$. Then $m=ur$ remains nonzero after localization, while $Pm=0$. If $am=0$, localization forces $a/1\in P{R}_P$, and hence $a\in P$. Therefore ${\mathrm{Ann}}_R(m)=P$. This proves that minimal primes are associated primes.