Enlargements and coverings by Rees matrix semigroups (Q1974016)

The first author [in Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 39, No. 3, 425-460 (1996; Zbl 0862.20047)], introduced the idea of an enlargement of a regular semigroup. In the present paper the authors generalise this idea to include the non-regular case. Their main result concerns the situation where a semigroup is an enlargement of one of its factorisable subsemigroups. They show that such a semigroup is the image, under a homomorphism, of a Rees matrix semigroup over the factorisable subsemigroup, where the surjective homomorphism is a strict local isomorphism along which regular elements and idempotents can be lifted. This generalises \textit{D. B. McAlister}'s local structure theorem [J. Aust. Math. Soc., Ser. A 31, 325-336 (1981; Zbl 0474.06015)].