Valuation Rings, Local and Integrally Closed

Local and Integrally Closed

The nonunits of a valuation ring form an ideal.

Let x and y be nonunits in a valuation ring R.  If xz is a unit then x would be too, so x times anything in R remains a nonunit.  If x+y is also a nonunit we have an ideal.

Since x and y are not units, 1/x and 1/y are not in R.  Without loss of generality assume x/y is in R.  Hence 1+x/y = (x+y)/y is in R.  If 1/(x+y) is also in R then so is 1/y, which is a contradiction.  Therefore x+y is not invertible, and the nonunits form an ideal in R.

Call this ideal M, since it is maximal.  After all, the only things not in M are units.  Note that M contains every other proper ideal.  Thus M is the maximal ideal of R, and R is a local ring.

Integrally Closed

The ring R is integrally closed in its fraction field F.

Let x, an element of F-R, be integral over R.  Thus x satisfies a monic polynomial p(x).  Write xn in terms of smaller powers of x, then divide through by xn-1.  Now x is a linear combination of powers of 1/x, with coefficients in R.  Remember that 1/x is in R, thus x is in R, which is a contradiction.  Thus R is integrally closed in its fraction field.

Converse

If R is noetherian, the converse is also true.  A noetherian local ring that is integrally closed is a valuation ring.  However the proof will have to wait until we are well in to dedekind domains.