Aperiodic semigroup

Last updated

In mathematics, an aperiodic semigroup is a semigroup S such that every element is aperiodic, that is, for each x in S there exists a positive integer n such that xn = xn+1. [1] An aperiodic monoid is an aperiodic semigroup which is a monoid.

Contents

Finite aperiodic semigroups

A finite semigroup is aperiodic if and only if it contains no nontrivial subgroups, so a synonym used (only?) in such contexts is group-free semigroup. In terms of Green's relations, a finite semigroup is aperiodic if and only if its H-relation is trivial. These two characterizations extend to group-bound semigroups.[ citation needed ]

A celebrated result of algebraic automata theory due to Marcel-Paul Schützenberger asserts that a language is star-free if and only if its syntactic monoid is finite and aperiodic. [2]

A consequence of the Krohn–Rhodes theorem is that every finite aperiodic monoid divides a wreath product of copies of the three-element flip-flop monoid, consisting of an identity element and two right zeros. The two-sided Krohn–Rhodes theorem alternatively characterizes finite aperiodic monoids as divisors of iterated block products of copies of the two-element semilattice.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monoid</span> Algebraic structure with an associative operation and an identity element

In abstract algebra, a branch of mathematics, a monoid is a set equipped with an associative binary operation and an identity element. For example, the nonnegative integers with addition form a monoid, the identity element being 0.

In mathematics, one can define a product of group subsets in a natural way. If S and T are subsets of a group G, then their product is the subset of G defined by

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semigroup</span> Algebraic structure consisting of a set with an associative binary operation

In mathematics, a semigroup is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with an associative internal binary operation on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreath product</span> Group formed from the action of one group on many copies of another, based on the semidirect product

In group theory, the wreath product is a special combination of two groups based on the semidirect product. It is formed by the action of one group on many copies of another group, somewhat analogous to exponentiation. Wreath products are used in the classification of permutation groups and also provide a way of constructing interesting examples of groups.

In mathematics and computer science, the Krohn–Rhodes theory is an approach to the study of finite semigroups and automata that seeks to decompose them in terms of elementary components. These components correspond to finite aperiodic semigroups and finite simple groups that are combined in a feedback-free manner.

In abstract algebra, the free monoid on a set is the monoid whose elements are all the finite sequences of zero or more elements from that set, with string concatenation as the monoid operation and with the unique sequence of zero elements, often called the empty string and denoted by ε or λ, as the identity element. The free monoid on a set A is usually denoted A. The free semigroup on A is the subsemigroup of A containing all elements except the empty string. It is usually denoted A+.

The generalized star-height problem in formal language theory is the open question whether all regular languages can be expressed using generalized regular expressions with a limited nesting depth of Kleene stars. Here, generalized regular expressions are defined like regular expressions, but they have a built-in complement operator. For a regular language, its generalized star height is defined as the minimum nesting depth of Kleene stars needed in order to describe the language by means of a generalized regular expression, hence the name of the problem.

In mathematics and computer science, the syntactic monoid of a formal language is the smallest monoid that recognizes the language .

In algebra and theoretical computer science, an action or act of a semigroup on a set is a rule which associates to each element of the semigroup a transformation of the set in such a way that the product of two elements of the semigroup is associated with the composite of the two corresponding transformations. The terminology conveys the idea that the elements of the semigroup are acting as transformations of the set. From an algebraic perspective, a semigroup action is a generalization of the notion of a group action in group theory. From the computer science point of view, semigroup actions are closely related to automata: the set models the state of the automaton and the action models transformations of that state in response to inputs.

In mathematics, Green's relations are five equivalence relations that characterise the elements of a semigroup in terms of the principal ideals they generate. The relations are named for James Alexander Green, who introduced them in a paper of 1951. John Mackintosh Howie, a prominent semigroup theorist, described this work as "so all-pervading that, on encountering a new semigroup, almost the first question one asks is 'What are the Green relations like?'". The relations are useful for understanding the nature of divisibility in a semigroup; they are also valid for groups, but in this case tell us nothing useful, because groups always have divisibility.

A regular language is said to be star-free if it can be described by a regular expression constructed from the letters of the alphabet, the empty set symbol, all boolean operators – including complementation – and concatenation but no Kleene star. For instance, the language of words over the alphabet that do not have consecutive a's can be defined by , where denotes the complement of a subset of . The condition is equivalent to having generalized star height zero.

An aperiodic finite-state automaton is a finite-state automaton whose transition monoid is aperiodic.

In algebra, a transformation semigroup is a collection of transformations that is closed under function composition. If it includes the identity function, it is a monoid, called a transformationmonoid. This is the semigroup analogue of a permutation group.

In mathematics, a null semigroup is a semigroup with an absorbing element, called zero, in which the product of any two elements is zero. If every element of a semigroup is a left zero then the semigroup is called a left zero semigroup; a right zero semigroup is defined analogously. According to Clifford and Preston, "In spite of their triviality, these semigroups arise naturally in a number of investigations."

In abstract algebra, in semigroup theory, a Schützenberger group is a certain group associated with a Green H-class of a semigroup. The Schützenberger groups associated with different H-classes are different. However, the groups associated with two different H-classes contained in the same D-class of a semigroup are isomorphic. Moreover, if the H-class itself were a group, the Schützenberger group of the H-class would be isomorphic to the H-class. In fact, there are two Schützenberger groups associated with a given H-class and each is antiisomorphic to the other.

In computer science, more precisely in automata theory, a rational set of a monoid is an element of the minimal class of subsets of this monoid that contains all finite subsets and is closed under union, product and Kleene star. Rational sets are useful in automata theory, formal languages and algebra.

In mathematics, a rational monoid is a monoid, an algebraic structure, for which each element can be represented in a "normal form" that can be computed by a finite transducer: multiplication in such a monoid is "easy", in the sense that it can be described by a rational function.

In abstract algebra, a semigroup with three elements is an object consisting of three elements and an associative operation defined on them. The basic example would be the three integers 0, 1, and −1, together with the operation of multiplication. Multiplication of integers is associative, and the product of any two of these three integers is again one of these three integers.

In mathematics, and more precisely in semigroup theory, a variety of finite semigroups is a class of semigroups having some nice algebraic properties. Those classes can be defined in two distinct ways, using either algebraic notions or topological notions. Varieties of finite monoids, varieties of finite ordered semigroups and varieties of finite ordered monoids are defined similarly.

References

  1. Kilp, Mati; Knauer, Ulrich; Mikhalev, Alexander V. (2000). Monoids, Acts and Categories: With Applications to Wreath Products and Graphs. A Handbook for Students and Researchers. De Gruyter Expositions in Mathematics. Vol. 29. Walter de Gruyter. p. 29. ISBN   3110812908. Zbl   0945.20036.
  2. Schützenberger, Marcel-Paul, "On finite monoids having only trivial subgroups," Information and Control, Vol 8 No. 2, pp. 190–194, 1965.