Set-theoretic solutions of the pentagon equation (Q2216766)

A set-theoretic solution of the Pentagon Equation on a non-empty set \(S\) is a pair \((S,s)\), where \(s\colon S\times S\to S\times S\) is a mapping of the form \(s(x,y)=(x\cdot y,\theta_x(y))=(x\cdot y,x\ast y)\), such that \((S,\cdot)\) is a semigroup and for \(x,y,z\in S\) the following additional conditions are satisfied: \[\theta_x(y)\cdot \theta_{x\cdot y}(z)=\theta_x(y\cdot z)\quad \text{and}\quad \theta_{\theta_x(y)}\theta_{x\cdot y}=\theta_y.\] A solution \((S,s)\) is called \textit{bijective} if \(s\) is a bijection and is \textit{involutive} if \(s^2=id_{S\times S}\). \textit{F. Catino} et al. [Commun. Algebra 48, No. 1, 83--92 (2020; Zbl 1447.16034)] described all solutions \((S,s)\) of the Pentagon Equation for which \((S,\cdot)\) and \((S,\ast)\) are groups. \textit{F. Catino} et al. [Semigroup Forum 101, No. 2, 259--284 (2020; Zbl 07251064)] obtained solutions of the Pentagon Equation on the matched product of two semigroups. In this paper, bijective solutions of the Pentagon Equation are investigated. The main result shows that each involutive solution \((S,s)\) of the Pentagon Equation may be constructed on a product \(X\times A\times G\) of three non-empty sets, where \((A,+)\) and \((G,\circ)\) are two elementary abelian \(2\)-groups, \(\sigma\colon A\to Sym(X)\) and for \(x,y\in X\), \(a,b\in A\), \(g,h\in G\): \[s((x,a,g),(y,b,h))=((x,a,g\circ h),(\sigma_{a+b}\sigma_b^{-1}(y),a+b,h)).\] In a finite case with \(|S|=2^n(2m+1)\), there are, up to isomorphism, exactly \(\binom{n+2}{2}\) involutive solutions of the Pentagon Equation defined on a set \(S\). Similarly as for the Yang-Baxter Equation the notion of an irretractable involutive solution of the Pentagon Equation is defined. The authors prove that for each such solution \((S,s)\) there exists an elementary abelian \(2\)-group \((S,+)\) such that for every \(x,y\in S\), \(s(x,y)=(x,x+y)\). They also show that two irretractable involutive solutions are isomorphic if and only if they are of the same cardinality. To study involutive non-degenerate set theoretic solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation many different algebraic structures corresponding to such solutions have been introduced [see, e.g., \textit{P. Etingof} et al., Duke Math. J. 100, 169--209 (1999; Zbl 0969.81030)]. In this paper, the structure algebra associated with an involutive finite solution of the Pentagon Equation is considered. In particular, the authors show that such algebra is a finite extension of a free abelian submonoid and is a Noetherian algebra satisfying a polynomial identity.