This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Smooth algebra" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2024)

In algebra, a commutative k-algebra A is said to be 0-smooth if it satisfies the following lifting property: given a k-algebra C, an ideal N of C whose square is zero and a k-algebra map ${\displaystyle u:A\to C/N}$, there exists a k-algebra map ${\displaystyle v:A\to C}$ such that u is v followed by the canonical map. If there exists at most one such lifting v, then A is said to be 0-unramified (or 0-neat). A is said to be 0-étale if it is 0-smooth and 0-unramified. The notion of 0-smoothness is also called formal smoothness.

A finitely generated k-algebra A is 0-smooth over k if and only if Spec A is a smooth scheme over k.

A separable algebraic field extension L of k is 0-étale over k.^[1] The formal power series ring ${\displaystyle k[\![t_{1},\ldots ,t_{n}]\!]}$ is 0-smooth only when ${\displaystyle \operatorname {char} k=p>0}$ and ${\displaystyle [k:k^{p}]<\infty }$ (i.e., k has a finite p-basis.)^[2]

Let B be an A-algebra and suppose B is given the I-adic topology, I an ideal of B. We say B is I-smooth over A if it satisfies the lifting property: given an A-algebra C, an ideal N of C whose square is zero and an A-algebra map ${\displaystyle u:B\to C/N}$ that is continuous when ${\displaystyle C/N}$ is given the discrete topology, there exists an A-algebra map ${\displaystyle v:B\to C}$ such that u is v followed by the canonical map. As before, if there exists at most one such lift v, then B is said to be I-unramified over A (or I-neat). B is said to be I-étale if it is I-smooth and I-unramified. If I is the zero ideal and A is a field, these notions coincide with 0-smooth etc. as defined above.

A standard example is this: let A be a ring, ${\displaystyle B=A[\![t_{1},\ldots ,t_{n}]\!]}$ and ${\displaystyle I=(t_{1},\ldots ,t_{n}).}$ Then B is I-smooth over A.

Let A be a noetherian local k-algebra with maximal ideal ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {m}}}$. Then A is ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {m}}}$-smooth over ${\displaystyle k}$ if and only if ${\displaystyle A\otimes _{k}k'}$ is a regular ring for any finite extension field ${\displaystyle k'}$ of ${\displaystyle k}$.^[3]

• étale morphism
• formally smooth morphism
• Popescu's theorem

• Matsumura, H. (1989). Commutative Ring Theory. Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics. Translated by Reid, M. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-36764-6.

This algebra-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

• v
• t
• e