Integer-valued skew polynomials

Abstract

For a commutative integral domain [Formula: see text] with field of fractions [Formula: see text], the ring of integer-valued polynomials on [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we extend this construction to skew polynomial rings. Given an automorphism [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], the skew polynomial ring [Formula: see text] consists of polynomials with coefficients from [Formula: see text], and with multiplication given by [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text]. We define [Formula: see text], which is the set of integer-valued skew polynomials on [Formula: see text]. When [Formula: see text] is not the identity, [Formula: see text] is noncommutative and evaluation behaves differently than it does for ordinary polynomials. Nevertheless, we are able to prove that [Formula: see text] has a ring structure in many cases. We show how to produce elements of [Formula: see text] and investigate its properties regarding localization and Noetherian conditions. Particular attention is paid to the case where [Formula: see text] is a discrete valuation ring with finite residue field.