Motivated by the question of which completely regular semigroups have context-free word problem, we show that for certain classes of languages $\mathfrak{C}$(including context-free), every completely regular semigroup that is a union of finitely many finitely generated groups with word problem in $\mathfrak{C}$ also has word problem in $\mathfrak{C}$. We give an example to show that not all completely regular semigroups with context-free word problem can be so constructed.
This paper studies decision problems for semigroups that are word-hyperbolic in the sense of Duncan & Gilman. A fundamental investigation reveals that the natural definition of a `word-hyperbolic structure' has to be strengthened slightly in order to define a unique semigroup up to isomorphism. The isomorphism problem is proven to be undecidable for word-hyperbolic semigroups (in contrast to the situation for word-hyperbolic groups). It is proved that it is undecidable whether a word-hyperbolic semigroup is automatic, asynchronously automatic, biautomatic, or asynchronously biautomatic. (These…
This note proves a generalisation to inverse semigroups of Anisimov's theorem that a group has regular word problem if and only if it is finite, answering a question of Stuart Margolis. The notion of word problem used is the two-tape word problem -- the set of all pairs of words over a generating set for the semigroup which both represent the same element.
In this paper we investigate the word problem of the free Burnside semigroup satisfying x^2=x^3 and having two generators. Elements of this semigroup are classes of equivalent words. A natural way to solve the word problem is to select a unique "canonical" representative for each equivalence class. We prove that overlap-free words and so-called almost overlap-free words (this notion is some generalization of the notion of overlap-free words) can serve as canonical representatives for corresponding equivalence classes. We show that such a word in a given class, if any, can be efficiently found.…
We study the language-theoretic aspects of the word problem, in the sense of Duncan & Gilman, of free products of semigroups and monoids. First, we provide algebraic tools for studying classes of languages known as super-AFLs, which generalise e.g. the context-free or the indexed languages. When $\mathcal{C}$ is a super-AFL closed under reversal, we prove that the semigroup (monoid) free product of two semigroups (resp. monoids) with word problem in $\mathcal{C}$ also has word problem in $\mathcal{C}$. This recovers and generalises a recent result by Brough, Cain & Pfeiffer that the class of c…
This paper studies the classes of semigoups and monoids with context-free and deterministic context-free word problem. First, some examples are exhibited to clarify the relationship between these classes and their connection with the notions of word-hyperbolicity and automaticity. Second, a study is made of whether these classes are closed under applying certain semigroup constructions, including direct products and free products, or under regressing from the results of such constructions to the original semigroup(s) or monoid(s).
We explore a natural class of semigroups that have word problem decidable by finite state automata. Among the main results are invariance of this property under change of generators, invariance under basic algebraic constructions and algebraic properties of these semigroups.
In this paper, we study the word problem for automaton semigroups and automaton groups from a complexity point of view. As an intermediate concept between automaton semigroups and automaton groups, we introduce automaton-inverse semigroups, which are generated by partial, yet invertible automata. We show that there is an automaton-inverse semigroup and, thus, an automaton semigroup with a PSPACE-complete word problem. We also show that there is an automaton group for which the word problem with a single rational constraint is PSPACE-complete. Additionally, we provide simpler constructions for …
We show that all of the Schützenberger complexes of an Adian inverse semigroup are finite if the Schützenberger complex of every positive word is finite. This enables us to solve the word problem for certain classes of Adian inverse semigroups (and hence for the corresponding Adian semigroups and Adian groups).
The study of word hyperbolic groups is a prominent topic in geometric group theory; however word hyperbolic groups are defined by a geometric condition which does not extend naturally to semigroups. We propose a linguistic definition. Roughly speaking a semigroup is word hyperbolic if its multiplication table is a context free language. For groups this definition is equivalent to the original geometric one. We also briefly consider word problems of semigroups.
Every semigroup which is a finite disjoint union of copies of the free mono- genic semigroup (natural numbers under addition) has soluble word prob- lem and soluble membership problem. Efficient algorithms are given for both problems.
We investigate the orbits of automaton semigroups and groups to obtain algorithmic and structural results, both for general automata but also for some special subclasses. First, we show that a more general version of the finiteness problem for automaton groups is undecidable. This problem is equivalent to the finiteness problem for left principal ideals in automaton semigroups generated by complete and reversible automata. Then, we look at $ω$-word (i.e. right infinite words) with a finite orbit. We show that every automaton yielding an $ω$-word with a finite orbit already yields an ultimately…
We consider an application to the discrete log problem using completely regular semigroups which may provide a more secure symmetric cryptosystem than the classic system based on groups. In particular we describe a scheme that would appear to offer protection to a standard trial multiplication attack.
A semigroup $S$ is called an equational domain if any finite union of algebraic sets over $S$ is algebraic. We prove if a completely regular semigroup $S$ is an equational domain then $S$ is completely simple.
A completely simple semigroup S is a semigroup without zero which has no proper ideals and contains a primitive idempotent. It is known that S is a regular semigroup and any completely simple semigroup is isomorphic to the Rees matrix semigroup. In the study of structure theory of regular semigroups, K.S.S. Nambooripad introduced the concept of normal categories to construct the semigroup from its principal left(right) ideals using cross-connections. A normal category C is a small category with subobjects wherein each object of the category has an associated idempotent normal cone and each mor…
This paper is a contribution to the theory of finite semigroups and their classification in pseudovarieties, which is motivated by its connections with computer science. The question addressed is what role can play the consideration of an order compatible with the semigroup operation. In the case of unions of groups, so-called completely regular semigroups, the problem of which new pseudovarieties appear in the ordered context is solved. As applications, it is shown that the lattice of pseudovarieties of ordered completely regular semigroups is modular and that taking the intersection with the…
This paper enriches the list of properties of the congruence sequences starting from the universal relation and successively performing the operations of lower $t$ and lower $k$. Three classes of completely regular semigroups, namely semigroups for which $\kerσ$ is a cryptogroup, semigroups for which $\kerν$ is a cryptogroup and semigroups for which $κ$ is over rectangular bands, are studied. $((ω_t)_k)_t$, $((\mathcal{D}_t)_k)_t$ and $((ω_k)_t)_k$ are found to be the least congruences on $S$ such that the quotient semigroups are semigroups for which $\kerσ$ is a cryptogroup, $\kerν$ is a cryp…
We introduce the space function $s(n)$ of a finitely presented semigroup $S =<A\mid R>.$ To define $s(n)$ we consider pairs of words $w,w'$ over $A$ of length at most $n$ equal in $S$ and use relations from $R$ for the transformations $w=w_0\to...\to w_t= w'$; $s(n)$ bounds from above the tape space (or computer memory) sufficient to implement all such transitions $w\to...\to w'.$ One of the results obtained is the following criterion: A finitely generated semigroup $S$ has decidable word problem of polynomial space complexity if and only if $S$ is a subsemigroup of a finitely presented semigr…
We prove that if $S$ is an $E$-solid locally inverse semigroup, and $ρ$ is an inverse semigroup congruence on $S$ such that the idempotent classes of $ρ$ are completely simple semigroups then $S$ is embeddable into a $λ$-semidirect product of a completely simple semigroup by $S/ρ$. Consequently, the $E$-solid locally inverse semigroups turn out to be, up to isomorphism, the regular subsemigroups of $λ$-semidirect products of completely simple semigroups by inverse semigroups.
The set of idempotents of any semigroup carries the structure of a biordered set, which contains a great deal of information concerning the idempotent generated subsemigroup of the semigroup in question. This leads to the construction of a free idempotent generated semigroup $\mathsf{IG}(\mathcal{E})$ - the `free-est' semigroup with a given biordered set $\mathcal{E}$ of idempotents. We show that when $\mathcal{E}$ is finite, the word problem for $\mathsf{IG}(\mathcal{E})$ is equivalent to a family of constraint satisfaction problems involving rational subsets of direct products of pairs of ma…
We show that if the Schützenberger graph of every positive word, that contains an $R$-word only once as it's subword, is finite over an Adain presentation $\langle X|u=v\rangle$, then the Schützenberger graph of every positive word is finite over the presentation $\langle X|u=v\rangle$. This enable us to solve the word problem ffor some classes of one relation Adian inverse semigroups.
We show that an automaton group or semigroup is infinite if and only if it admits an $ω$-word (i. e. a right-infinite word) with an infinite orbit, which solves an open problem communicated to us by Ievgen V. Bondarenko. In fact, we prove a generalization of this result, which can be applied to show that finitely generated subgroups and subsemigroups as well as principal left ideals of automaton semigroups are infinite if and only if there is an $ω$ -word with an infinite orbit under their action. The proof also shows some interesting connections between the automaton semigroup and its dual. F…
This article studies the properties of word-hyperbolic semigroups and monoids, i.e. those having context-free multiplication tables with respect to a regular combing, as defined by Duncan & Gilman. In particular, the preservation of word-hyperbolicity under taking free products is considered. Under mild conditions on the semigroups involved, satisfied e.g. by monoids or regular semigroups, we prove that the semigroup free product of two word-hyperbolic semigroups is again word-hyperbolic. Analogously, with a mild condition on the uniqueness of representation for the identity element, satisfied…
Motivated by issues arising in computer science, we investigate the loop-free paths from the identity transformation and corresponding straight words in the Cayley graph of a finite transformation semigroup with a fixed generator set. Of special interest are words that permute a given subset of the state set. Certain such words, called minimal permutators, are shown to comprise a code, and the straight ones comprise a finite code. Thus, words that permute a given subset are uniquely factorizable as products of the subset's minimal permutators, and these can be further reduced to straight minim…
We introduce the notion of expandability in the context of automaton semigroups and groups: a word is k-expandable if one can append a suffix to it such that the size of the orbit under the action of the automaton increases by at least k. This definition is motivated by the question which ω-words admit infinite orbits: for such a word, every prefix is expandable. In this paper, we show that, on input of a word u, an automaton T and a number k, it is decidable to check whether u is k-expandable with respect to the action of T. In fact, this can be done in exponential nondeterministic space. Fro…
The category of all idempotent generated semigroups with a prescribed structure $\mathcal{E}$ of their idempotents $E$ (called the biordered set) has an initial object called the free idempotent generated semigroup over $\mathcal{E}$, defined by a presentation over alphabet $E$, and denoted by $\mathsf{IG}(\mathcal{E})$. Recently, much effort has been put into investigating the structure of semigroups of the form $\mathsf{IG}(\mathcal{E})$, especially regarding their maximal subgroups. In this paper we take these investigations in a new direction by considering the word problem for $\mathsf{IG…
An example of an extension of a completely simple semigroup U by a group H is given which cannot be embedded into the wreath product of U by H. On the other hand, every central extension of U by H is shown to be embeddable in the wreath product of U by H, and any extension of U by H is proved to be embeddable in a semidirect product of a completely simple semigroup V by H where the maximal subgroups of V are direct powers of those of U.
We study the complexity of computation in finitely generated free left, right and two-sided adequate semigroups and monoids. We present polynomial time (quadratic in the RAM model of computation) algorithms to solve the word problem and compute normal forms in each of these, and hence also to test whether any given identity holds in the classes of left, right and/or two-sided adequate semigroups.
Building on the previous extensive study of Yang, Gould and the present author, we provide a more precise insight into the group-theoretical ramifications of the word problem for free idempotent generated semigroups over finite biordered sets. We prove that such word problems are in fact equivalent to the problem of computing intersections of cosets of certain subgroups of direct products of maximal subgroups of the free idempotent generated semigroup in question, thus providing decidability of those word problems under group-theoretical assumptions related to the Howson property and the coset…
A new construction of a free inverse semigroup was obtained by Poliakova and Schein in 2005. Based on their result, we find a Groebner-Shirshov basis of a free inverse semigroup relative to the deg-lex order of words. In particular, we give the (unique and shortest) Groebner-Shirshov normal forms in the classes of equivalent words of a free inverse semigroup together with the Groebner-Shirshov algorithm to transform any word to its normal form.
The idempotent problem of a finitely generated inverse semigroup is the formal language of all words over the generators representing idempotent elements. This note proves that a finitely generated inverse semigroup with regular idempotent problem is necessarily finite. This answers a question of Gilbert and Noonan Heale, and establishes a generalisation to inverse semigroups of Anisimov's Theorem for groups.
The words separation problem, originally formulated by Goralcik and Koubek (1986), is stated as follows. Let $Sep(n)$ be the minimum number such that for any two words of length $\le n$ there is a deterministic finite automaton with $Sep(n)$ states, accepting exactly one of them. The problem is to find the asymptotics of the function $Sep$. This problem is inverse to finding the asymptotics of the length of the shortest identity in full transformation semigroups $T_k$. The known lower bound on $Sep$ stems from the unary identity in $T_k$. We find the first series of identities in $T_k$ which a…
Let H be a pseudovariety of groups in which the kappa-word problem is decidable. Here, kappa denotes the canonical implicit signature, which consists of the multiplication and the (omega-1)-power. We prove that the kappa-word problem is also decidable over DRH, the pseudovariety of all finite semigroups whose regular R-classes lie in H. Further, we present a canonical form for elements in the free kappa-semigroup over DRH, based on the knowledge of a canonical form for elements in the free kappa-semigroup over H. This extends work of Almeida and Zeitoun on the pseudovariety of all finite R-tri…
With each semigroup one can associate a partial algebra, called the biordered set, which captures important algebraic and geometric features of the structure of idempotents of that semigroup. For a biordered set $\mathcal{E}$, one can construct the free idempotent-generated semigroup over $\mathcal{E}$, $\mathsf{IG}(\mathcal{E})$, which is the free-est semigroup (in a definite categorical sense) whose biorder of idempotents is isomorphic to $\mathcal{E}$. Studies of these intriguing objects have been recently focusing on their particular aspects, such as maximal subgroups, the word problem, et…
We study varieties of semigroups related to completely 0-simple semigroup. We present here an algorithmic descriptions of these varieties in terms of "forbidden" semigroups. We also describe residually completely 0-simple varieties of semigroups in terms of identities.
We give a complete characterization of pseudovarieties of semigroups whose finitely generated relatively free profinite semigroups are equidivisible. Besides the pseudovarieties of completely simple semigroups, they are precisely the pseudovarieties that are closed under Mal'cev product on the left by the pseudovariety of locally trivial semigroups. A further characterization which turns out to be instrumental is as the non-completely simple pseudovarieties that are closed under two-sided Karnofsky-Rhodes expansion.
We study varieties of semigroups related to completely 0-simple semigroup. We present here an algorithmic descriptions of these varieties interms of "forbidden" semigroups.
We formulate and explain the extended Burrows-Wheeler transform of Mantaci et al from the viewpoint of permutations on a chain taken as a union of partial order-preserving mappings. In so doing we establish a link with syntactic semigroups of languages that are themselves cyclic semigroups. We apply the extended transform with a view to generating de Bruijn words through inverting the transform.
We completely determine all lower-modular elements of the lattice of all semigroup varieties. As a corollary, we show that a lower-modular element of this lattice is modular.
We completely determine all distributive, codistributive, standard, costandard, and neutral elements in the lattice of overcommutative semigroup varieties, thus correcting a gap contained in an earlier article by the second author.
We completely determine all semigroup varieties satysfiyng a permutational identity of length 3 that are modular elements of the lattice of all semigroup varieties. Using this result, we provide an example of a semigroup variety that is a modular but not cancellable element of this lattice.
We consider random walks on finitely or countably generated free semigroups, and identify their Poisson boundaries for classes of measures which fail to meet the classical entropy criteria. In particular, we introduce the notion of w-logarithmic moment, and we show that if a random walk on a free semigroup has either finite entropy or finite w-logarithmic moment for some word w, then the space of infinite words with the resulting hitting measure is the Poisson boundary.
We completely determine all commutative semigroup varieties that are cancellable elements of the lattice SEM of all semigroup varieties. In particular, we prove that, for commutative varieties, the properties of being cancellable and modular elements of SEM are equivalent.
We describe the structure of $E-$dense acts over $E-$dense semigroups in an analogous way to that for inverse semigroup acts over inverse semigroups. This is based, to a large extent, on the work of Schein on representations of inverse semigroups by partial one-to-one maps. We consider an application to the discrete log problem in cryptography as well as an application to the same problem using completely regular semigroups.
In this paper, we characterize completely the structure of Clifford semigroups of matrices over an arbitrary field. It is shown that a semigroups of matrices of finite order is a Clifford semigroup if and only if it is isomorphic to a subdirect product of some linear (0-)groups. Then we generalize this result to a semigroup of matrices of countably infinite order and give a similar necessary and sufficient condition for it to be a Clifford semigroup.
We completely determine all semigroup [epigroup] varieties that are cancellable elements of the lattice of all semigroup [respectively epigroup] varieties.
In 1978, Munn proved that a bounded complex representation of an inverse semigroup is semiunitary and completely reducible. We consider the converse question in the finite case. We provide some sufficient conditions from a finite regular semigroup to a finite inverse semigroup.
In this work, the lattice of varieties of semigroups and the lattice of varieties of I-semigroups (a common setting for both the variety of completely regular semigroups and the variety of inverse semigroups) are studied with respect to the following concepts: a variety V of (I-)semigroups is said to be locally K-finite, where K stands for any of the five Green's relations, if every finitely generated semigroup from V has only finitely many (distinct) K-classes.
