Some new results about the smallest ideal of \(\beta S\) (Q2329080)

Let \(A\) and \(B\) be nonempty sets. The rectangular semigroup generated by \(A\) and \(B\) is the set \(R(A,B) = A\times B\) with the discrete topology and the operation \(\cdot\) defined by \((a, b) \cdot (c, d) = (a, d)\). Let \(\beta(R(A,B))\) be the Stone-Čech compactification of \(R(A,B)\) and let \(K(\beta(R(A,B)))\) be the smallest two sided ideal of \(\beta(R(A,B))\) (equivalently, the union of all minimal right (left) ideals of \(\beta(R(A,B))\)). The authors study the algebraic structure of \(K(\beta(R(A,B)))\) and obtain a number of results about minimal left ideals, minimal right ideals, and the topological center. It is proved that minimal left ideals in \(\beta(R(A,B))\) have isolated points and that there is an isomorphism from \(K(\beta(R(A,B)))\) onto \(R(\beta A, \beta B)\). In the second part of the paper, general semigroups \(S\) for which left ideals of \(\beta S\) have isolated points are investigated and several results are obtained. It is proved, among other results, that for such semigroups \(S\), all maximal subgroups of \(\beta S\) are finite.