The classification of maximal inverse monoids of matrices (Q2227624)

Let \(\mathbb{F}\) be a field. The set \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\) of all \(n \times n\) matrices over \(\mathbb{F}\) forms a monoid under usual matrix multiplication. An inverse subsemigroup \(S\) of \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\) is said to be maximal if for every inverse-subsemigroup \(T\) of \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\) with \(S \subseteq T\), we have \(S = T\). Obviously, such \(S\) must contain the identity matrix, hence \(S\) is a monoid. In the paper under review, the authors study the structure of the monoid \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\). Given a partition \(\Lambda\) of \(\{1,\ldots, n\}\), the authors construct a maximal matrix inverse monoid \(S^\Lambda\) as a direct sum of some block matrices and show that every maximal inverse monoid is such a matrix inverse monoid associated to a partition \(\Lambda\) of \(\{1,\ldots, n\}\) up to isomorphism. First, they describe the Green relations in \(S^\Lambda\) by the behavior of partitioned matrices and give some basic properties of inverse subsemigroups of \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\). Moreover, they count the number of idempotents and all Green's equivalent classes in \(S^\Lambda\). The main result of the paper is a complete classification of all maximal inverse monoids in \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\). The authors show that every maximal inverse monoid in \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\) is completely determined by the set of its primitive idempotents which corresponds to a partition \(\Lambda\) of \(\{1,\ldots, n\}\). Finally, they give a necessary and sufficient condition for an inverse subsemigroup of \(M_n(\mathbb{F})\) being maximal.