Let $\mathbb {Z}$ be the additive (semi)group of integers. We prove that for a finite semigroup S the direct product $\mathbb {Z}\times S$ contains only countably many subdirect products (up to isomorphism) if and only if S is regular. As a corollary we show that $\mathbb {Z}\times S$ has only countably many subsemigroups (up to isomorphism) if and only if S is completely regular.

A notion of normal submonoid of a monoid M is introduced that generalizes the normal subgroups of a group. When ordered by inclusion, the set $\mathsf {NorSub}(M)$ of normal submonoids of M is a complete lattice. Joins are explicitly described and the lattice is computed for the finite full transformation monoids $T_n$, $n\geq ~1$. It is also shown that $\mathsf {NorSub}(M)$ is modular for a specific family of commutative monoids, including all Krull monoids, and that it, as a join semilattice, embeds isomorphically onto a join subsemilattice of the lattice $\mathsf {Cong}(M)$ of congruences on M. This leads to a new strategy for computing $\mathsf {Cong}(M)$ consisting of computing $\mathsf {NorSub}(M)$ and the so-called unital congruences on the quotients of M modulo its normal submonoids. This provides a new perspective on Malcev’s computation of the congruences on $T_n$.

We propose a notion of a proper Ehresmann semigroup based on a three-coordinate description of its generating elements governed by certain labelled directed graphs with additional structure. The generating elements are determined by their domain projection, range projection and σ-class, where σ denotes the minimum congruence that identifies all projections. We prove a structure result on proper Ehresmann semigroups and show that every Ehresmann semigroup has a proper cover. Our covering monoid turns out to be isomorphic to that from the work by Branco, Gomes and Gould and provides a new view of the latter. Proper Ehresmann semigroups all of whose elements admit a three-coordinate description are characterized in terms of partial multiactions of monoids on semilattices. As a consequence, we recover the two-coordinate structure result on proper restriction semigroups.

In a 1968 issue of the Proceedings, P. M. Cohn famously claimed that a commutative domain is atomic if and only if it satisfies the ascending chain condition on principal ideals (ACCP). Some years later, a counterexample was however provided by A. Grams, who showed that every commutative domain with the ACCP is atomic, but not vice versa. This has led to the problem of finding a sensible (ideal-theoretic) characterisation of atomicity.

The question (explicitly stated on p. 3 of A. Geroldinger and F. Halter–Koch’s 2006 monograph on factorisation) is still open. We settle it here by using the language of monoids and preorders.

A semigroup S is said to be right pseudo-finite if the universal right congruence can be generated by a finite set $U\subseteq S\times S$, and there is a bound on the length of derivations for an arbitrary pair $(s,t)\in S\times S$ as a consequence of those in U. This article explores the existence and nature of a minimal ideal in a right pseudo-finite semigroup. Continuing the theme started in an earlier work by Dandan et al., we show that in several natural classes of monoids, right pseudo-finiteness implies the existence of a completely simple minimal ideal. This is the case for orthodox monoids, completely regular monoids, and right reversible monoids, which include all commutative monoids. We also show that certain other conditions imply the existence of a minimal ideal, which need not be completely simple; notably, this is the case for semigroups in which one of the Green’s preorders ${\leq _{\mathcal {L}}}$ or ${\leq _{\mathcal {J}}}$ is left compatible with multiplication. Finally, we establish a number of examples of pseudo-finite monoids without a minimal ideal. We develop an explicit construction that yields such examples with additional desired properties, for instance, regularity or ${\mathcal {J}}$-triviality.

We call a semigroup $S$weakly right noetherian if every right ideal of $S$ is finitely generated; equivalently, $S$ satisfies the ascending chain condition on right ideals. We provide an equivalent formulation of the property of being weakly right noetherian in terms of principal right ideals, and we also characterize weakly right noetherian monoids in terms of their acts. We investigate the behaviour of the property of being weakly right noetherian under quotients, subsemigroups and various semigroup-theoretic constructions. In particular, we find necessary and sufficient conditions for the direct product of two semigroups to be weakly right noetherian. We characterize weakly right noetherian regular semigroups in terms of their idempotents. We also find necessary and sufficient conditions for a strong semilattice of completely simple semigroups to be weakly right noetherian. Finally, we prove that a commutative semigroup $S$ with finitely many archimedean components is weakly (right) noetherian if and only if $S/\mathcal {H}$ is finitely generated.

Taking residual finiteness as a starting point, we consider three related finiteness properties: weak subsemigroup separability, strong subsemigroup separability and complete separability. We investigate whether each of these properties is inherited by Schützenberger groups. The main result of this paper states that for a finitely generated commutative semigroup S, these three separability conditions coincide and are equivalent to every $\mathcal {H}$ -class of S being finite. We also provide examples to show that these properties in general differ for commutative semigroups and finitely generated semigroups. For a semigroup with finitely many $\mathcal {H}$ -classes, we investigate whether it has one of these properties if and only if all its Schützenberger groups have the property.

If ${\mathfrak {F}}$ is a type-definable family of commensurable subsets, subgroups or subvector spaces in a metric structure, then there is an invariant subset, subgroup or subvector space commensurable with ${\mathfrak {F}}$. This in particular applies to type-definable or hyper-definable objects in a classical first-order structure.

We consider several familiar varieties of completely regular semigroups such as groups and completely simple semigroups. For each of them, we characterize their members in terms of absence of certain kinds of subsemigroups, as well as absence of certain divisors, and in terms of a homomorphism of a concrete semigroup into the semigroup itself. For each of these varieties $ \mathcal{V} $ we determine minimal non-$ \mathcal{V} $ varieties, provide a basis for their identities, determine their join and give a basis for its identities. Most of this is complete; one of the items missing is a basis for identities for minimal nonlocal orthogroups. Three tables and a figure illustrate the results obtained.

In this paper, another relationship between the quasi-ideal adequate transversals of an abundant semigroup is given. We introduce the concept of a weakly multiplicative adequate transversal and the classic result that an adequate transversal is multiplicative if and only if it is weakly multiplicative and a quasi-ideal is obtained. Also, we give two equivalent conditions for an adequate transversal to be weakly multiplicative. We then consider the case when $I$ and $\Lambda $ (defined below) are bands. This is analogous to the inverse transversal if the regularity condition is adjoined.

A one-dimensional tiling is a bi-infinite string on a finite alphabet, and its tiling semigroup is an inverse semigroup whose elements are marked finite substrings of the tiling. We characterize the structure of these semigroups in the periodic case, in which the tiling is obtained by repetition of a fixed primitive word.

A generalization of the Pastijn product is introduced so that, on the level of e-varieties and pseudoe-varieties, this product and the regular semidirect product by completely simple semigroups ‘almost always’ coincide. This is applied to give a model of the bifree objects in every e-variety formed as a regular semidirect product of a variety of inverse semigroups by a variety of completely simple semigroups that is not a group variety.

We continue in this paper our study of conjugacy classes of a reductive monoid $M$. The main theorems establish a strong connection with the Bruhat-Renner decomposition of $M$. We use our results to decompose the variety ${{M}_{\text{nil}}}$ of nilpotent elements of $M$ into irreducible components. We also identify a class of nilpotent elements that we call standard and prove that the number of conjugacy classes of standard nilpotent elements is always finite.

A common generalization of the author's embedding theorem concerning the E-unitary regular semigroups with regular band of idempotents, and Billhardt's and Ismaeel's embedding theorem on the inverse semigroups, the closure of whose set of idempotents is a Clifford semigroup, is presented. We prove that each orthodox semigroup with a regular band of idempotents, which is an extension of an orthogroup K by a group, can be embedded into a semidirect product of an orthogroup K′ by a group, where K′ belongs to the variety of orthogroups generated by K. The proof is based on a criterion of embeddability into a semidirect product of an orthodox semigroup by a group and uses bilocality of orthogroup bivarieties.

In this paper conditions of M-symmetry, strong, semimodularity and θ-modularity for the congruence lattice L (S) of a regular ω-semigroup S are studied. They are proved to be equivalent to modularity. Moreover it is proved that the kernel relation is a congruence on L(S) if and only if L(S) is modular, generalizing an analogous result stated by Petrich for bisimple ω-semigroups.

Let M be a connected linear algebraic monoid with zero and a reductive unit group. We show that there exist reductive groups G1,..., Gt, each with an automorphism, such that the conjugacy classes of M are in a natural bijective correspondence with the twisted conjugacy classes of Gi, i = 1,..., t.

Let 5 be a monoid. A right S-system A is called strongly flat if the functor A ⊗ — (from the category of left S-systems into the category of sets) preserves pullbacksand equalizers. (This concept arises in B. Stenström, Math. Nachr. 48(1971), 315-334 under the name weak flatness). The main result of the present paper is a proof that for A to be strongly flat it is in fact sufficient that A ⊗ — preserve only pullbacks. The approach taken is to develop an "interpolation" condition for pullback-preservation, and then to show its equivalence to Stenström's conditions for strong flatness.

The problem of characterizing the semigroups with Boolean congruence lattices has been solved for several classes of semigroups. Hamilton [9] and the author of this paper [1] studied the question for semilattices. Hamilton and Nordahl [10] considered commutative semigroups, Fountain and Lockley [7,8] solved the problem for Clifford semigroups and idempotent semigroups, in [1] the author generalized their results to completely regular semigroups. Finally, Zhitomirskiy [19] studied the question for inverse semigroups.