Interval semigroups on \(\mathbb{R}\) whose sets of bi-ideals and quasi-ideals coincide. (Q1887396)

A subsemigroup \(Q\) of a semigroup \(S\) is a quasi-ideal if \(SQ\cap QS\subseteq Q\) and it is a bi-ideal if \(QSQ\subseteq Q\). Denote by \(\mathbf{BQ}\) the class of all semigroups whose bi-ideals are quasi-ideals. The authors investigate those interval semigroups on the space \(\mathbb{R}\) of real numbers under both the usual multiplication and the usual addition. They show that if \(S\) is a multiplicative interval semigroup on \(\mathbb{R}\), then \(S\in\mathbf{BQ}\) if and only if \(S=\mathbb{R}\), \(\{0\}\), \(\{1\}\), \((0,\infty)\), or \([0,\infty)\) and if \(S\not\in\mathbf{BQ}\), then \(S\) has an uncountable number of bi-ideals which are not quasi-ideals. They go on to show that if \(S\) is an additive interval semigroup on \(\mathbb{R}\), then \(S\in\mathbf{BQ}\) if and only if \(S=\mathbb{R}\) or \(S=\{0\}\) and if \(S\not\in\mathbf{BQ}\), then \(S\) has an uncountable number of bi-ideals which are not quasi-ideals. An example of such a semigroup is \((a,\infty)\) under addition where \(a\geq 0\).