On superstability in the class of flat modules and perfect rings

Abstract: We obtain a characterization of left perfect rings via superstability of the class of flat left modules with pure embeddings. $\mathbf{Theorem.}$ For a ring $R$ the following are equivalent. - $R$ is left perfect. - The class of flat left $R$-modules with pure embeddings is superstable. - There exists a $\lambda \geq (|R| + \aleph_0)^+$ such that the class of flat left $R$-modules with pure embeddings has uniqueness of limit models of cardinality $\lambda$. - Every limit model in the class of flat left $R$-modules with pure embeddings is $\Sigma$-cotorsion. A key step in our argument is the study of limit models in the class of flat modules. We show that limit models with chains of long cofinality are cotorsion and that limit models are elementarily equivalent. We obtain a new characterization via limit models of the rings characterized in [Rot02]. We show that in these rings the equivalence between left perfect rings and superstability can be refined. We show that the results for these rings can be applied to extend [She17, 1.2] to classes of flat modules not axiomatizable in first-order logic.