An abstract characterization of noncommutative projective lines

Abstract

Let $k$ be a field.We describe necessary and sufficient conditions for a $k$-linear abelian category to be a noncommutative projective line, i.e. a noncommutative $\mathbb P^1$-bundle over a pair of division rings over $k$. As an application, we prove that $\mathbb P^1_n$, Piontkovski’s $n$th noncommutative projective line, is the noncommutative projectivization of an $n$-dimensional vector space.