Maximal (semi-)lattices of fractions and injective hulls (Q1895811)

Maximal semilattices of fractions of a given semilattice -- analogues of maximal rings of quotients (in the sense of Utumi) of a (generally noncommutative) ring -- have been considered earlier [see, e.g., \textit{H.- J. Bandelt} and \textit{J. Schmid}, Houston J. Math. 9, 333-343 (1983; Zbl 0541.06002), and the references given in the present paper]. Given a semilattice \(T\), its maximal semilattice of fractions \(Q(T)\) may be constructed in two essentially different ways: Either as a collection of (equivalence classes of) certain partial maps on \(T\) (``multipliers''), closely paralleling the corresponding ring-theoretic approach, or else as a collection of certain down-sets in \(T\) (``Q-sets''). The latter approach is specific for the semilattice setting since it is based on the order structure of \(T\); moreover, it is completely constructive as opposed to the multiplier approach. In ring theory, there is, however, another way: The maximal ring of quotients \(Q(R)\) of a ring \(R\) is obtainable as the bicommutator of an injective hull \(R^*\) of \(R\). Since multiplication in \(Q(R)\) is then defined by composition of maps, this method cannot be carried over easily to the semilattice setting, where the operation is always commutative and idempotent. The main result of the present paper is a bicommutator construction for \(Q(T)\), \(T\) any semilattice: In a suitably defined category \({\mathbf S}{\mathbf L}_ T\) of so-called \(T\)-semilattices (containing \(T\) itself), we show the existence of an injective hull \(T^*\) of \(T\), and then construct \(Q(T)\) as a collection of certain maps \(q: T^*\mapsto T^*\) with the property that \(qh= hq\) for every \({\mathbf S}{\mathbf L}_ T\)-morphism \(h: T^*\mapsto T^*\). In contrast to the ring-theoretic setting, \(Q(T)\) does \({\mathbf n}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf t}\) contain \({\mathbf a}{\mathbf l}{\mathbf l}\) such maps \(q\).