Monomial retracts of polynomial rings are polynomial rings

Abstract

Let $R$ be a ring and $B = R[X_1, \dots, X_n]$ the polynomial ring in $n$ variables over $R$. In this article, we consider retractions $\varphi : B \longrightarrow B$ such that $\varphi(X_i)$ is either a monic monomial or $0$. We prove that if $R$ is an integral domain, then any such retract is isomorphic to $R^{[p]}$, the polynomial ring in $p$ variables over $R$, for some $0 \le p \le n$. We also characterize different monomial retractions of $B$ which give the same retract.