Duality of Preenvelopes and Pure Injective Modules

Abstract

Let $R$ be an arbitrary ring and $(-)^+=\Hom_{\mathbb{Z}}(-, \mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z})$ where $\mathbb{Z}$ is the ring of integers and $\mathbb{Q}$ is the ring of rational numbers, and let $\mathcal{C}$ be a subcategory of left $R$-modules and $\mathcal{D}$ a subcategory of right $R$-modules such that $X^{+}\in \mathcal{D}$ for any $X\in \mathcal{C}$ and all modules in $\mathcal{C}$ are pure injective. Then a homomorphism $f:A\to C$ of left $R$-modules with $C\in \mathcal{C}$ is a $\mathcal{C}$-(pre)envelope of $A$ provided $f^{+}:C^{+}\to A^{+}$ is a $\mathcal{D}$-(pre)cover of $A^{+}$. Some applications of this result are given.

9 pages, to appear in Canadian Mathematical Bulletin