Set-theoretic solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation, associated quadratic algebras and the minimality condition (Q2228338)

A braided set \((X,r)\) is a set \(X\) endowed with a set-theoretic solution \(r:X\times X\longrightarrow X\times X\) of the Yang-Baxter equation \[(r\times\operatorname{id})(\operatorname{id}\times r)(r\times\operatorname{id})=(\operatorname{id}\times r)(r\times\operatorname{id})(\operatorname{id}\times r).\] In the paper under review, the authors determine lower bounds for the numbers of orbits in \(X\times X\) under the action of \(r\). Their first result asserts that \(X\times X\) has at least \(\frac{|X|}{2}\) (or \(\frac{|X|+1}{2}\), according to the parity of \(|X|\)) \(r\)-orbits if \(r(x,y)=(\sigma_x(y),x)\) with \(\sigma_x\) bijective for all \(x,y\in X\). Secondly, if \(r\) also satisfies \(r(x,x)=(x,x)\) for all \(x\in X\), then \(X\times X\) has at least \(2|X|-1\) \(r\)-orbits. Furthermore, they explicitly describe the braided sets which reach the lower bound. In the first situation, these turn out to be those with \(\sigma_x=\sigma\), a cycle of length \(|X|\), for all \(x\in X\). In the second situation, the braided sets with minimal numbers of \(r\)-orbits are: (1) the set of reflections in the dihedral groups \(D_{2p}\) with \(p\) an odd prime; (2) the trivial braided set of order two; (3) \(X=\{1,2,3\}\) with \(\sigma_1=\sigma_2=\operatorname{id}\) and \(\sigma_3=(12)\). The proofs are of combinatorial nature and accessible to non-experts. Actually, the results of the authors are more general as the assumption \(r(x,y)=(\sigma_x(y),x)\) may be relaxed. Instead, one may assume that \(r(x,y)=(\sigma_x(y),\gamma_y(x))\) with \(\sigma_x\) and \(\gamma_y\) bijective for all \(x,y\in X\), and the lower bound still holds since the derived solution \((X,r')\) introduced by [\textit{A. Soloviev}, Math. Res. Lett. 7, No. 5--6, 577--596 (2000; Zbl 1046.81054)] satisfies the first assumption and the numbers of \(r'\)-orbits and \(r\)-orbits are equals by [the second author et al., Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 372, No. 10, 7191--7223 (2019; Zbl 1432.16032)]. The authors also give some results and examples concerning the structure algebra of a braided set and several problems posed by \textit{T. Gateva-Ivanova} [Adv. Math. 338, 649--701 (2018; Zbl 1437.16028)] are solved.