The minimal ideal of compact subsemigroups of \(\beta S\) (Q1813826)

Throughout this paper \((S,+)\) will be a discrete semigroup and \(\mathcal A\) will be a filter on \(S\). We view \(\beta S\), the Stone-Čech compactification of \(S\), as the set of ultrafilters on \(S\), each point \(x \in S\) being identified with the principal ultrafilter \(e(x) = \{A \subseteq S : x \in A\}\). We will denote \(e(x)\) by \(x\), when this is not likely to cause confusion. The left-continuous extension of the binary operation on \(S\) will be denoted by +. So given \(p\) and \(q\) in \(\beta S\), \(p + q = \{A \subseteq S : \{x \in S : A - x \in p\} \in q\}\) where \(A - x = \{y \in S : y + x \in A\}\). For \(A \subseteq S\), we let \(\overline{A} = \{p \in \beta S : A \in p\}\). The set \(\{\overline{A} : A \subseteq S\}\) forms a basis for the open sets for \(\beta S\). The set of all ultrafilters that contain our given filter \(\mathcal A\) will be denoted by \(\overline{{\mathcal A}}\), that is \(\overline{{\mathcal A}} = \{p \in \beta S : {\mathcal A} \subseteq p\}\). See [\textit{J. Berglund} and \textit{N. Hindman}, Trans. Am. math. Soc. 284, 1-38 (1984; Zbl 0548.22002)] and [\textit{N. Hindman}, Ultrafilters and combinatorial number theory. Number Theory, Proc. Conf., Carbondale 1979, Lect. Notes Math. 751, 119-184 (1979; Zbl 0416.10042)] for a more thorough discussion of \((\beta S, +)\). One can easily show that \(\overline {\mathcal A}\) is closed in \(\beta S\). Moreover, if \(K\) is a closed subset of \(\beta S\), then there exists a filter \(\mathcal F\) such that \(\overline{\mathcal F} = K\). In section 2 we characterize compact ideals and compact subsemigroups of \(\beta S\) via filters. -- \textit{N. Hindman} [Semigroup Forum 21, 221-255 (1980; Zbl 0448.22004)] characterized the minimal right ideals and minimal ideals of \((\beta \mathbb{N},+)\) and \((\beta \mathbb{N},\cdot)\). Furthermore, in [Rocky Mt. J. Math. 16, 685-701 (1986; Zbl 0624.22001)] \textit{Hindman} characterized the minimal right ideals and minimal ideals of \(U_{\kappa} (S)\) the set of \(\kappa\)-uniform ultrafilters of \(S\), provided \(U_\kappa (S)\) is a subsemigroup (an ultrafilter \(p\) is a \(\kappa\)-uniform ultrafilter if \(\min\{|A|: A \in p\} \geq \kappa\) where \(\kappa \geq \omega\) or \(\kappa = 1\)). In section 3, we characterize the minimal right ideals and the minimal ideal of any compact subsemigroup of \(\beta S\).