Nice derivations over principal ideal domains

Abstract

In this paper we investigate to what extent the results of Z. Wang and D. Daigle on nice derivations of the polynomial ring in three variables over a field k of characteristic zero extend to the polynomial ring over a PID R, containing the field of rational numbers. One of our results shows that the kernel of a nice derivation on the polynomial ring in four variables over k of rank at most three is a polynomial ring over k.