28
$\begingroup$

Is there an abelian group $A$ with $A\not\cong A\oplus A\cong A\oplus A\oplus A\oplus\cdots$ (a direct sum of countably many copies of $A$)?


Edited to add: As no answers are forthcoming, does anyone know what happens if we allow arbitrary modules in place of abelian groups?

$\endgroup$
2
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ I don't remember very well: Are there classical examples of abelian groups with an isomorphism $A^n \simeq A^m$ for some $m \neq n >0$ without having $A^i \simeq A^j$ for all $i,j>0$ ? $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 15:46
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ There are examples of abelian groups that have two different decompositions into indecomposable summands $A\oplus B\cong\bigoplus_{i\in\mathbb{Z}}T_i$. If it were possible to do this with $A\cong B$ and all the $T_i$ isomorphic, then $A$ would have the property you ask for. Unfortunately the construction I found in the literature (by Corner) seems to lead in an essential way to the $T_i$ being non-isomorphic, but maybe there are other results in this direction? $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 8:10

2 Answers 2

5
+500
$\begingroup$

This is not a complete answer, but a construction that might give an answer.

I'll start by constructing a ring with several objects (a.k.a. preadditive category) $\mathcal{C}$ by generators and relations, using similar ideas as in Leavitt's ring with $R\not\cong R\oplus R\cong R\oplus R\oplus R$.

The objects $X_{1}, X_{2},\dots$ are indexed by the positive integers. For each $m\leq n$ there are generators $\alpha_{n,m},\beta_{n,m}: X_{n}\to X_{m}$ and $\gamma_{n,m},\delta_{n,m}:X_{m}\to X_{n}$.

The relations are designed to make $$X_{n}\oplus X_{n}\cong X_{1}\oplus X_{2}\oplus\cdots\oplus X_{n}$$ for all $n$ once we close under finite direct sums. For example, for $n=3$ impose the relations that make the matrices $$ \begin{pmatrix} \alpha_{3,1}&\beta_{3,1}\\\alpha_{3,2}&\beta_{3,2}\\\alpha_{3,3}&\beta_{3,3} \end{pmatrix} \text{ and } \begin{pmatrix} \gamma_{3,1}&\gamma_{3,2}&\gamma_{3,3}\\\delta_{3,1}&\delta_{3,2}&\delta_{3,3} \end{pmatrix} $$ mutually inverse.

Now form a ring by adjoining a unit: $$R=\mathbb{Z}\oplus\bigoplus_{m,n}\operatorname{Hom}_{\mathcal{C}}(X_{m},X_{n}).$$ For each $n$ let $e_{n}\in R$ be the idempotent corresponding to the identity endomorphism of $X_{n}$, let $P_{n}=e_{n}R$ be the corresponding projective right $R$-module, and let $P=\bigoplus_{n}P_{n}$.

Then $P_{n}\oplus P_{n}\cong P_{1}\oplus P_{2}\oplus\cdots\oplus P_{n}$ for each $n$, so \begin{align} P\oplus P&\cong (P_{1}\oplus P_{1})\oplus(P_{2}\oplus P_{2})\oplus(P_{3}\oplus P_{3})\oplus\cdots\\ &\cong P_{1}\oplus (P_{1}\oplus P_{2})\oplus(P_{1}\oplus P_{2}\oplus P_{3})\oplus\cdots\\ &\cong P^{(\omega)} \end{align}

Question 1. Is $P\cong P\oplus P$?

Probably not, as there seems no obvious way to produce such an isomorphism.

If the answer to Question 1 is ``no'', then this answers the supplementary question in the OP about modules.

As for abelian groups:

Clearly $R$ is countable.

Question 2. Is $R$ torsion free?

Probably, as there seems no obvious way to produce a torsion element.

Question 3. Is $R$ reduced?

Probably, as there seems no obvious way to produce a divisible element.

If the answers to Questions 2 and 3 are both ``yes'', then Corner's theorem applies, and $R\cong\operatorname{End}(B)$ for some abelian group $B$.

Let $A_{n}=e_{n}(B)$ and $A=\bigoplus_{n}A_{n}$. Then $$A\oplus A\cong A^{(\omega)}.$$

Question 4. Is $A\cong A\oplus A$?

I don't see any reason that it should have to be (note that $B$ is not uniquely determined, so the answer to Question 4 might conceivably depend on the particular choice of $B$).

$\endgroup$
3
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I sent a sketch of this argument to Pace after he posted the original question, and promised to write it up and post it on MathOverflow when I got time. It seems to have taken me over a year. :-( $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 30, 2023 at 9:26
  • $\begingroup$ I believe that Pace, who is a far more skilful wielder of Bergman's Diamond Lemma than I am, knows how to answer some of the questions in my answer. I have made the answer community wiki, and would be happy for Pace or anybody else to add answers to my questions. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 30, 2023 at 9:29
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for writing this up! Using Bergman's Diamond Lemma, and especially Bergman's work in his two 1974 papers on coproducts that were published in TAMS, I feel like I have a good grasp on the ring $R$ and the monoid of isomorphism classes of finitely generated project modules. So questions 2 and 3 are likely very doable. However, I actually don't know how to approach showing $P\not\cong P\oplus P$, since $P$ is not finitely generated. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 30, 2023 at 14:50
8
$\begingroup$

This is a long comment responding to Simon Henry's question in the comments to the original question.

The paper

A.L.S. Corner
On a conjecture of Pierce concerning direct decompositions of Abelian groups
Proc. Colloq. Abelian Groups, Tihany, 1963, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest (1964), pp. 43–48

provides an example of an abelian group $G$ such that $G\cong G\oplus G\oplus G$ and $G\not\cong G\oplus G$. I don't have access to the paper, so can't say whether Corner's example will solve the original question on this page. Here are the first two sentences of the Math Review, written by R. S. Pierce:

It is shown that for any positive integer $r$ there exists a countable torsion-free abelian group $G$ such that the direct sum of $m$ copies of $G$ is isomorphic to the direct sum of n copies of $G$ if and only if $m\equiv n\pmod{r}$. This remarkable result is obtained from the author's theorem on the existence of torsion-free groups having a prescribed countable, reduced, torsion-free endomorphism ring by constructing a ring with suitable properties.

$\endgroup$
4
  • 10
    $\begingroup$ It won't solve the original question, since if $G\oplus G\cong G^{(\omega)}$ then $G\oplus G\oplus G\cong G^{(\omega)}\cong G\oplus G$. A positive example for the original question would have $G^m\cong G^n\cong G^{(\omega)}$ for any natural numbers $1<m<n$. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 16:33
  • $\begingroup$ @JeremyRickard: Nice observation. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 19:08
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks ! that indeed doesn't solve the original question - but the methods of the paper (according to the review you posted) of constructing an abelian group with prescribed endomorphisms ring seems like a fairly promising way to attack the problem... $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 21:33
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ The classic ring constructed by Leavitt, where we have (as right $R$-modules) $R\not\cong R^2\cong R^3$ should lead (by Corner's theorem) to an abelian group $A\not\cong A^2\cong A^3\cong A^4\cong\cdots$. However, it isn't clear how one would get $A^{(\omega)}$ in the mix. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 16:03

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .