Finitely generated simple algebras: A question of B. I. Plotkin

In his recent series of lectures, Prof. B. I. Plotkin discussed geometrical properties of the variety of associative K-algebras. In particular, he studied geometrically noetherian and logically noetherian algebras and, in this connection, he asked whether there exist uncountably many simple K-algebras with a fixed finite number of generators. We answer this question in the affirmative using both crossed product constructions and HNN extensions of division rings. Specifically, we show that there exist uncountably many nonisomorphic 4-generator simple Ore domains, and also uncountably many nonisomorphic division algebras having 2 generators as a division algebra.