Bimodules in group graded rings

In this article we introduce the notion of a controlled group graded ring. Let $G$ be a group, with identity element $e$, and let $R=\oplus_{g\in G} R_g$ be a unital $G$-graded ring. We say that $R$ is $G$-controlled if there is a one-to-one correspondence between subsets of the group $G$ and (mutually non-isomorphic) $R_e$-bimodules in $R$, given by $G \supseteq H \mapsto \oplus_{h\in H} R_h$. For strongly $G$-graded rings, the property of being $G$-controlled is stronger than that of being simple. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for a general $G$-graded ring to be $G$-controlled. We also give a characterization of strongly $G$-graded rings which are $G$-controlled. As an application of our main results we give a description of all intermediate subrings $T$ with $R_e \subseteq T \subseteq R$ of a $G$-controlled strongly $G$-graded ring $R$. Our results generalize results for artinian skew group rings which were shown by Azumaya 70 years ago. In the special case of skew group rings we obtain an algebraic analogue of a recent result by Cameron and Smith on bimodules in crossed products of von Neumann algebras.Comment: 12 pages (Updated the proofs of Lemma 3.2 and Proposition 3.3.

Simplicity of skew group rings of abelian groups

Given a group G, a (unital) ring A and a group homomorphism \sigma : G \to \Aut(A), one can construct the skew group ring $A \rtimes_{\sigma} G$. We show that a skew group ring $A \rtimes_{\sigma} G$, of an abelian group G, is simple if and only if its centre is a field and A is G-simple. If G is abelian and A is commutative, then $A \rtimes_{\sigma} G$ is shown to be simple if and only if \sigma is injective and A is G-simple. As an application we show that a transformation group (X,G), where X is a compact Hausdorff space and G is abelian, is minimal and faithful if and only if its associated skew group algebra $C(X) \rtimes_{\sigma} G$ is simple. We also provide an example of a skew group algebra, of an (non-abelian) ICC group, for which the above conclusions fail to hold.Comment: 13 page

Simple Semigroup Graded Rings

We show that if $R$ is a, not necessarily unital, ring graded by a semigroup $G$ equipped with an idempotent $e$ such that $G$ is cancellative at $e$, the non-zero elements of $eGe$ form a hypercentral group and $R_e$ has a non-zero idempotent $f$, then $R$ is simple if and only if it is graded simple and the center of the corner subring $f R_{eGe} f$ is a field. This is a generalization of a result of E. Jespers' on the simplicity of a unital ring graded by a hypercentral group. We apply our result to partial skew group rings and obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the simplicity of a, not necessarily unital, partial skew group ring by a hypercentral group. Thereby, we generalize a very recent result of D. Gon\c{c}alves'. We also point out how E. Jespers' result immediately implies a generalization of a simplicity result, recently obtained by A. Baraviera, W. Cortes and M. Soares, for crossed products by twisted partial actions.Comment: 9 page

Complex group rings of group extensions

Let $N$ and $H$ be groups, and let $G$ be an extension of $H$ by $N$. In this article we describe the structure of the complex group ring of $G$ in terms of data associated with $N$ and $H$. In particular, we present conditions on the building blocks $N$ and $H$ guaranteeing that $G$ satisfies the zero-divisor and idempotent conjectures. Moreover, for central extensions involving amenable groups we present conditions on the building blocks guaranteeing that the Kaplansky-Kadison conjecture holds for the reduced group C*-algebra of $G$.Comment: 14 pages. Since the 1st version, the title has been changed and Corollary 3.8 has been correcte

Commutativity and Ideals in Category Crossed Products

In order to simultaneously generalize matrix rings and group graded crossed products, we introduce category crossed products. For such algebras we describe the center and the commutant of the coefficient ring. We also investigate the connection between on the one hand maximal commutativity of the coefficient ring and on the other hand nonemptyness of intersections of the coefficient ring by nonzero twosided ideals

Miyashita Action in Strongly Groupoid Graded Rings

We determine the commutant of homogeneous subrings in strongly groupoid graded rings in terms of an action on the ring induced by the grading. Thereby we generalize a classical result of Miyashita from the group graded case to the groupoid graded situation. In the end of the article we exemplify this result. To this end, we show, by an explicit construction, that given a finite groupoid $G$, equipped with a nonidentity morphism $t : d(t) \to c(t)$, there is a strongly $G$-graded ring $R$ with the properties that each $R_s$, for $s \in G$, is nonzero and $R_t$ is a nonfree left $R_{c(t)}$-module.Comment: This article is an improvement of, and hereby a replacement for, version 1 (arXiv:1001.1459v1) entitled "Commutants in Strongly Groupoid Graded Rings

Noncrossed Product Matrix Subrings and Ideals of Graded Rings

We show that if a groupoid graded ring has a certain nonzero ideal property and the principal component of the ring is commutative, then the intersection of a nonzero twosided ideal of the ring with the commutant of the principal component of the ring is nonzero. Furthermore, we show that for a skew groupoid ring with commutative principal component, the principal component is maximal commutative if and only if it is intersected nontrivially by each nonzero ideal of the skew groupoid ring. We also determine the center of strongly groupoid graded rings in terms of an action on the ring induced by the grading. In the end of the article, we show that, given a finite groupoid $G$, which has a nonidentity morphism, there is a ring, strongly graded by $G$, which is not a crossed product over $G$

Simple Rings and Degree Maps

For an extension A/B of neither necessarily associative nor necessarily unital rings, we investigate the connection between simplicity of A with a property that we call A-simplicity of B. By this we mean that there is no non-trivial ideal I of B being A-invariant, that is satisfying AI \subseteq IA. We show that A-simplicity of B is a necessary condition for simplicity of A for a large class of ring extensions when B is a direct summand of A. To obtain sufficient conditions for simplicity of A, we introduce the concept of a degree map for A/B. By this we mean a map d from A to the set of non-negative integers satisfying the following two conditions (d1) if a \in A, then d(a)=0 if and only if a=0; (d2) there is a subset X of B generating B as a ring such that for each non-zero ideal I of A and each non-zero a \in I there is a non-zero a' \in I with d(a') \leq d(a) and d(a'b - ba') < d(a) for all b \in X. We show that if the centralizer C of B in A is an A-simple ring, every intersection of C with an ideal of A is A-invariant, ACA=A and there is a degree map for A/B, then A is simple. We apply these results to various types of graded and filtered rings, such as skew group rings, Ore extensions and Cayley-Dickson doublings.Comment: 17 page