10.

Localization and Local Rings

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and is called the localization of R at the prime P. In practice this is the most important example of a localization,13 directly generalizing the construction of the eld of fractions of an integral domain as the localization at the prime ideal 0. Here are some special cases, K being a eld in the cases in which it occurs: (a) When R = Z and P = ( p) for a prime number p, the set S consists of nonzero integers not divisible by p, and R P is the subset of all members of Q whose denominators are not divisible by p. (b) When R = K[X ] and P = (X c), the set S consists of all polynomials that are nonvanishing at c, and R P is the set of formal rational expressions in X that are nite at c. (c) When R = K[X, Y ] and P = (X c, Y d), the set S consists of all polynomials in X and Y that are nonvanishing at (c, d), and R P is the set of formal rational expressions in X and Y that are nite at (c, d). (d) When R = K[X, Y ] and P = (X ), the set S consists of all polynomials in X and Y that are not divisible by X , and R P is the set of formal rational expressions in X and Y that are meaningful as rational expressions in Y when X is set equal to 0. For example, 1/(X + Y ) is in R P , but 1/ X is not. (4) R is arbitrary, {P } is a nonempty collection of prime ideals, and S is the set of all elements of R that lie in none of the ideals P . Then S 1 R may be regarded as the localization of R at the set of all primes P .

(6) R is a Noetherian integral domain, E is an arbitrary set of nonzero elements of R, and S is the set of all nite products of members of E, including the element 1 as the empty product. Let us see that the same S 1 R results when E is replaced by a certain set E of units and irreducible elements of R, namely the union of R and the set of all irreducible elements x in R such that x 1 is in S 1 R. Dene T to be the set of all nite products of members of E . We show that S 1 R = T 1 R. If e is in E , then either e is a unit in R, in which case e1 lies in R and therefore also S 1 R, or e is irreducible in R with e1 in S 1 R. Passing to nite products of members of E , we see that T 1 S 1 R. Hence T 1 R S 1 R. Now let s be in S, and use Proposition 8.33 to write s as a product of irreducible elements s = s1 sn . Then s j1 = s 1 (s1 s j sn ), with s j indicating a missing factor. By construction, each s j is in E . Therefore each s j is in T , and s is in T . Consequently S T , and S 1 R T 1 R.
13 Beware of confusing R with R/P. The ring R is obtained by suitably enlarging R, at least P P in the case that R is an integral domain, whereas the ring R/P is obtained by suitably factoring something out from R.

(5) R is arbitrary, u is an element of R, and S = {1, u, u 2 , . . . }. For example, if R = Z/( p 2 ), where p is a prime, and if u = p, then 0 is in S, and observation (i) shows that S 1 R = 0.

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VIII. Commutative Rings and Their Modules

The localization of R at S is characterized up to canonical isomorphism by the same kind of universal mapping property that characterizes the eld of fractions of an integral domain. To formulate a proposition, let us write for the homomorphism r r of R into S 1 R. Then the pair (S 1 R, ) has the universal mapping property stated in Proposition 8.46 and illustrated in Figure 8.7. R T

S 1 R FIGURE 8.7. Universal mapping property of the localization of R at S. Proposition 8.46. Let R be a commutative ring with identity, let S be a multiplicative system in R, let S 1 R be the localization of R at S, and let be the canonical homomorphism of R into S 1 R. Whenever is a ring homomorphism of R into a commutative ring T with identity such that (1) = 1 and such that (s) is a unit in T for each s S, then there exists a unique ring homomorphism : S 1 R T such that = .

PROOF. If (r, s) with s S is a pair in R, we dene (r, s) = (r )(s)1 . This is well dened since (s) is assumed to be a unit in T . Let us see that is consistent with the equivalence relation, i.e., that (r, s) (r , s ) implies (r, s) = (r , s ). Since (r, s) (r , s ), we have u(r s r s) = 0 for some u S, and therefore also (u)((r )(s ) (r )(s)) = 0. Since (u) is a unit, (r )(s ) = (r )(s). Hence (r, s) = (r )(s)1 = (r )(s )1 = (r , s ), as required. We can thus dene of the class of (r, s) to be (r, s), and is well dened as a function from S 1 R to T . It is a routine matter to check that is a ring homomorphism. If r is in R, then ((r )) = (class of (r, 1)) = (r, 1) = (r )(1)1 , and this equals (r ) since is assumed to carry 1 into 1. Therefore = . For uniqueness, observation (iv) shows that the most general element of S 1 R is of the form (r )(s)1 with r R and s S. Since ()(r ) = (r ) and ()(s) = (s), we must have ((r )(s)1 ) = ((r ))((s))1 = (r )(s)1 . Therefore uniquely determines . We shall examine the relationship between ideals in R and ideals in the localization S 1 R. If I is an ideal in R, then S 1 I = {s 1 i | s S, i I } is easily checked to be an ideal in S 1 R and is called the extension of I to S 1 R. If J is an ideal in S 1 R, then R J , i.e., the inverse image of J under the canonical homomorphism : R S 1 R, is an ideal in R and is called the contraction of J .