Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 November 2019
Let D be a unital associative division ring and D[t, σ, δ] be a skew polynomial ring, where σ is an endomorphism of D and δ a left σ-derivation. For each f ϵ D[t, σ, δ] of degree m > 1 with a unit as leading coefficient, there exists a unital nonassociative algebra whose behaviour reflects the properties of f. These algebras yield canonical examples of right division algebras when f is irreducible. The structure of their right nucleus depends on the choice of f. In the classical literature, this nucleus appears as the eigenspace of f and is used to investigate the irreducible factors of f. We give necessary and sufficient criteria for skew polynomials of low degree to be irreducible. These yield examples of new division algebras Sf.