Chain Conditions for Leavitt Path Algebras

In this paper, results known about the artinian and noetherian conditions for the Leavitt path algebras of graphs with finitely many vertices are extended to all row-finite graphs. In our first main result, necessary and sufficient conditions on a row-finite graph E are given so that the corresponding (not necessarily unital) Leavitt path K-algebra L(E) is semisimple. These are precisely the algebras L(E) for which every corner is left (equivalently, right) artinian. They are also precisely the algebras L(E) for which every finitely generated left (equivalently, right) L(E)-module is artinian. In our second main result, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for every corner of L(E) to be left (equivalently, right) noetherian. They also turn out to be precisely those algebras L(E) for which every finitely generated left (equivalently, right) L(E)-module is noetherian. In both situations, isomorphisms between these algebras and appropriate direct sums of matrix rings over K or K[x,x] are provided. Likewise, in both situations, equivalent graph theoretic conditions on E are presented.