In
abstract algebra
In mathematics, more specifically algebra, abstract algebra or modern algebra is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, lattices, and algebras over a field. The term ' ...
, a valuation ring is an
integral domain
In mathematics, specifically abstract algebra, an integral domain is a nonzero commutative ring in which the product of any two nonzero elements is nonzero. Integral domains are generalizations of the ring of integers and provide a natural se ...
''D'' such that for every element ''x'' of its
field of fractions
In abstract algebra, the field of fractions of an integral domain is the smallest field in which it can be embedded. The construction of the field of fractions is modeled on the relationship between the integral domain of integers and the field ...
''F'', at least one of ''x'' or ''x''
−1 belongs to ''D''.
Given a
field
Field may refer to:
Expanses of open ground
* Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes
* Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport
* Battlefield
* Lawn, an area of mowed grass
* Meadow, a grass ...
''F'', if ''D'' is a
subring
In mathematics, a subring of ''R'' is a subset of a ring that is itself a ring when binary operations of addition and multiplication on ''R'' are restricted to the subset, and which shares the same multiplicative identity as ''R''. For those ...
of ''F'' such that either ''x'' or ''x''
−1 belongs to
''D'' for every nonzero ''x'' in ''F'', then ''D'' is said to be a valuation ring for the field ''F'' or a place of ''F''. Since ''F'' in this case is indeed the field of fractions of ''D'', a valuation ring for a field is a valuation ring. Another way to characterize the valuation rings of a field ''F'' is that valuation rings ''D'' of ''F'' have ''F'' as their field of fractions, and their
ideals are
totally ordered
In mathematics, a total or linear order is a partial order in which any two elements are comparable. That is, a total order is a binary relation \leq on some set X, which satisfies the following for all a, b and c in X:
# a \leq a ( reflexiv ...
by
inclusion; or equivalently their
principal ideal
In mathematics, specifically ring theory, a principal ideal is an ideal I in a ring R that is generated by a single element a of R through multiplication by every element of R. The term also has another, similar meaning in order theory, where ...
s are totally ordered by inclusion. In particular, every valuation ring is a
local ring In abstract algebra, more specifically ring theory, local rings are certain rings that are comparatively simple, and serve to describe what is called "local behaviour", in the sense of functions defined on varieties or manifolds, or of algebraic n ...
.
The valuation rings of a field are the maximal elements of the set of the local subrings in the field
partially ordered
In mathematics, especially order theory, a partially ordered set (also poset) formalizes and generalizes the intuitive concept of an ordering, sequencing, or arrangement of the elements of a set. A poset consists of a set together with a binary ...
by dominance or refinement, where
:
dominates
if
and
.
Every local ring in a field ''K'' is dominated by some valuation ring of ''K''.
An integral domain whose
localization at any
prime ideal
In algebra, a prime ideal is a subset of a ring that shares many important properties of a prime number in the ring of integers. The prime ideals for the integers are the sets that contain all the multiples of a given prime number, together wi ...
is a valuation ring is called a
Prüfer domain In mathematics, a Prüfer domain is a type of commutative ring that generalizes Dedekind domains in a non-Noetherian context. These rings possess the nice ideal and module theoretic properties of Dedekind domains, but usually only for finitely gen ...
.
Definitions
There are several equivalent definitions of valuation ring (see below for the characterization in terms of dominance). For an
integral domain
In mathematics, specifically abstract algebra, an integral domain is a nonzero commutative ring in which the product of any two nonzero elements is nonzero. Integral domains are generalizations of the ring of integers and provide a natural se ...
''D'' and its
field of fractions
In abstract algebra, the field of fractions of an integral domain is the smallest field in which it can be embedded. The construction of the field of fractions is modeled on the relationship between the integral domain of integers and the field ...
''K'', the following are equivalent:
# For every nonzero ''x'' in ''K'', either ''x'' is in ''D'' or ''x''
−1 is in ''D''.
# The ideals of ''D'' are
totally ordered
In mathematics, a total or linear order is a partial order in which any two elements are comparable. That is, a total order is a binary relation \leq on some set X, which satisfies the following for all a, b and c in X:
# a \leq a ( reflexiv ...
by inclusion.
# The principal ideals of ''D'' are
totally ordered
In mathematics, a total or linear order is a partial order in which any two elements are comparable. That is, a total order is a binary relation \leq on some set X, which satisfies the following for all a, b and c in X:
# a \leq a ( reflexiv ...
by inclusion (i.e. the elements in ''D'' are,
up to Two mathematical objects ''a'' and ''b'' are called equal up to an equivalence relation ''R''
* if ''a'' and ''b'' are related by ''R'', that is,
* if ''aRb'' holds, that is,
* if the equivalence classes of ''a'' and ''b'' with respect to ''R'' a ...
units
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (al ...
, totally ordered by
divisibility
In mathematics, a divisor of an integer n, also called a factor of n, is an integer m that may be multiplied by some integer to produce n. In this case, one also says that n is a multiple of m. An integer n is divisible or evenly divisible by ...
.)
# There is a
totally ordered
In mathematics, a total or linear order is a partial order in which any two elements are comparable. That is, a total order is a binary relation \leq on some set X, which satisfies the following for all a, b and c in X:
# a \leq a ( reflexiv ...
abelian group
In mathematics, an abelian group, also called a commutative group, is a group in which the result of applying the group operation to two group elements does not depend on the order in which they are written. That is, the group operation is comm ...
Γ (called the value group) and a
valuation ν: ''K'' → Γ ∪ with ''D'' = .
The equivalence of the first three definitions follows easily. A theorem of states that any
ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
satisfying the first three conditions satisfies the fourth: take Γ to be the
quotient
In arithmetic, a quotient (from lat, quotiens 'how many times', pronounced ) is a quantity produced by the division of two numbers. The quotient has widespread use throughout mathematics, and is commonly referred to as the integer part of a ...
''K''
×/''D''
× of the
unit group
In algebra, a unit of a ring is an invertible element for the multiplication of the ring. That is, an element of a ring is a unit if there exists in such that
vu = uv = 1,
where is the multiplicative identity; the element is unique for thi ...
of ''K'' by the unit group of ''D'', and take ν to be the natural projection. We can turn Γ into a
totally ordered group
In mathematics, specifically abstract algebra, a linearly ordered or totally ordered group is a group ''G'' equipped with a total order "≤" that is ''translation-invariant''. This may have different meanings. We say that (''G'', ≤) is a:
* le ...
by declaring the residue classes of elements of ''D'' as "positive".
Even further, given any totally ordered abelian group Γ, there is a valuation ring ''D'' with value group Γ (see
Hahn series In mathematics, Hahn series (sometimes also known as Hahn–Mal'cev–Neumann series) are a type of formal infinite series. They are a generalization of Puiseux series (themselves a generalization of formal power series) and were first introduced ...
).
From the fact that the ideals of a valuation ring are totally ordered, one can conclude that a valuation ring is a local domain, and that every finitely generated ideal of a valuation ring is principal (i.e., a valuation ring is a
Bézout domain In mathematics, a Bézout domain is a form of a Prüfer domain. It is an integral domain in which the sum of two principal ideals is again a principal ideal. This means that for every pair of elements a Bézout identity holds, and that every fin ...
). In fact, it is a theorem of Krull that an integral domain is a valuation ring if and only if it is a local Bézout domain. It also follows from this that a valuation ring is
Noetherian In mathematics, the adjective Noetherian is used to describe objects that satisfy an ascending or descending chain condition on certain kinds of subobjects, meaning that certain ascending or descending sequences of subobjects must have finite leng ...
if and only if it is a
principal ideal domain
In mathematics, a principal ideal domain, or PID, is an integral domain in which every ideal is principal, i.e., can be generated by a single element. More generally, a principal ideal ring is a nonzero commutative ring whose ideals are princi ...
. In this case, it is either a field or it has exactly one non-zero prime ideal; in the latter case it is called a
discrete valuation ring
In abstract algebra, a discrete valuation ring (DVR) is a principal ideal domain (PID) with exactly one non-zero maximal ideal.
This means a DVR is an integral domain ''R'' which satisfies any one of the following equivalent conditions:
# ''R'' i ...
. (By convention, a field is not a discrete valuation ring.)
A value group is called ''discrete'' if it is
isomorphic
In mathematics, an isomorphism is a structure-preserving mapping between two structures of the same type that can be reversed by an inverse mapping. Two mathematical structures are isomorphic if an isomorphism exists between them. The word is ...
to the additive group of the
integers
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language o ...
, and a valuation ring has a discrete valuation group if and only if it is a
discrete valuation ring
In abstract algebra, a discrete valuation ring (DVR) is a principal ideal domain (PID) with exactly one non-zero maximal ideal.
This means a DVR is an integral domain ''R'' which satisfies any one of the following equivalent conditions:
# ''R'' i ...
.
Very rarely, ''valuation ring'' may refer to a ring that satisfies the second or third condition but is not necessarily a domain. A more common term for this type of ring is ''
uniserial ring''.
Examples
* Any field
is a valuation ring. For example, the ring of rational functions
on an
algebraic variety
Algebraic varieties are the central objects of study in algebraic geometry, a sub-field of mathematics. Classically, an algebraic variety is defined as the set of solutions of a system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers. ...
.
Does there exist a Riemann surface corresponding to every field extension? Any other hypothesis needed?
/ref>
* A simple non-example is the integral domain