The \(\mathbf G\)-exponent of a pseudovariety of semigroups (Q1969113)

With any pseudovariety \(V\) of (finite) semigroups there is associated the pseudovariety \({\mathcal P}V\) that is generated by the power semigroups \(P(S)\), \(S\in V\). A review of this area may be found in [\textit{J. Almeida}, ``Finite semigroups and universal algebra'', World Scientific, Singapore (1994; Zbl 0844.20039)]. Within \(P(S)\) is the semigroup \(P_G(S)\) of group-pointlike subsets of \(S\): the subsets that, for all relation morphisms of \(S\) into a finite group, are contained within the inverse image of a single element. (Such subsets have played a critical role in the study of semidirect products of pseudovarieties.) The author studies the operator that associates with each pseudovariety \(V\) the pseudovariety \({\mathcal P}_G(V)\) generated by the semigroups \(P_G(S)\), \(S\in V\). An important result is that the pseudovariety \({\mathcal E}Perm\), comprising the semigroups whose idempotent-generated subgroups satisfy a permutative identity, is a fixed point of this operator. In a complementary manner, starting with any pseudovariety \(V\) not contained in \({\mathcal E}Perm\), at most three applications of this operator will yield the pseudovariety of all finite semigroups. The \(G\)-exponent of \(V\) is the minimum number of applications needed to reach this goal. Necessary and sufficient conditions are then given in order that \(V\) have exponent 0, 1, 2 or 3. For example, a proper pseudovariety \(V\) has exponent 1 if and only if it contains the five-element, aperiodic, regular but non-orthodox semigroup \(A_2\).