The congruence lattice of a regular semigroup (Q1105702)

Let S be a regular semigroup and denote by Con S its congruence lattice. This paper belongs to a stream (several by these authors) begun by \textit{N. R. Reilly} and \textit{H. E. Scheiblich} [Pac. J. Math. 23, 349-360 (1967; Zbl 0159.025)]. They defined a relation \(\theta\) on Con\(S\) (proved later by T. E. Hall to be a complete congruence) as follows: if \(\alpha\),\(\beta\in Con S\), then \(\alpha\theta\beta\) if \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) have the same ``trace'', that is the same restriction to the set of idempotents of S. Equivalently, \(\alpha\theta\beta\) if \(\alpha\) /\(\alpha\cap \beta\) and \(\beta\) /\(\alpha\cap \beta\) are idempotent- separating on S/\(\alpha\cap \beta\). Clearly, a congruence is idempotent- separating if and only if it is ``over groups'', in the sense that each of its idempotent classes is a group. Here, a whole family of such relations is defined; \(\theta\) is re-notated as T and relations U, V, \(T_ l\), \(T_ r\) are defined by \((\alpha,\beta)\in U\), V, \(T_ l\) or \(T_ r\) if \(\alpha\) /\(\alpha\cap \beta\) and \(\beta/\alpha\cap \beta\) are over completely simple semigroups, rectangular bands, left groups or right groups, respectively. It is proven that each of these relations is a complete congruence on Con S and various alternative descriptions and useful properties are found. It is also shown that \(V\cap T_ l\cap T_ r\) is the identical relation of Con S, inducing an important subdirect decomposition of the congruence lattice. A slight variant has been used by the first author to investigate varieties of completely regular semigroups [The lattice of completely regular semigroup varieties, J. Aust. Math. Soc. (to appear)].