Skew ring extensions and generalized monoid rings

Abstract

A D-structure on a ring A with identity is a family of self-mappings indexed by the elements of a monoid G and subject to a long list of rather natural conditions. The mappings are used to define a generalization of the monoid algebra A[G]. We consider two of the simpler types of D-structure. The first is based on a homomorphism from G to End(A) and leads to a skew monoid ring. We also explore connections between these D-structures and normalizing and subnormalizing extensions. The second type of D-structure considered is built from an endomorphism of A. We use D-structures of this type to characterize rings which can be graded by a cyclic group of order 2.