In: Electrical Engineering
PROOF:
Let B is noetherian. Suppose that M B/k is a free B-module of rank dimB.
Then by ( Proposition A : Let B be a local ring with field of representatives k. Then the canonical morphism of k-modules ? : m/m2 ?? M B/k ?B k is an isomorphism.), rank km/m2 = dimB, so B is a regular local ring. In particular this implies that B is a normal domain (MAT,Theorem).
For the converse, suppose that B is a regular local ring of dimension r. Then rank km/m2 = r so by Proposition A, we have rank k(MB/k ?B k) = r. On the other hand, let K be the quotient field of B. Then there is an isomorphism of K-modules MB/k?B K ?= MK/k .
Since k is perfect, K is a separably generated extension field of k , So rank MK/k = tr.deg.K/k .
We claim that dimB = tr.deg.K/k.
We know that ,if k be a field, A a finitely generated k-algebra and suppose that B = Ap is a domain for some prime ideal p of A. Then B is isomorphic as a k-algebra to the localisation of an affine k-algebra at a prime ideal.
So we can find an affine kalgebra A and a prime ideal p such that B ?= Ap as k-algebras. Since k is a field of representatives of B we have Ap/pAp ?= k as k-algebras. Using the fact that A/p is an affine k-algebra with quotient field k-isomorphic to Ap/pAp, we have coht.p = dim(A/p) = tr.deg.(Ap/pAp)/k = tr.deg.k/k = 0
using the fact that the quotient field of A is k-isomorphic to K, we have dimB = dimA = tr.deg.K/k as claimed. It now follows that MB/k is a free B-module of rank dimB.