Strong representations of the polycyclic inverse monoids: cycles and atoms. (Q2428648)

For each \(n\geq 2\) the polycyclic monoid \(P_n\) is defined as a monoid with zero by the presentation \(P_n=\langle a_1,\dots,a_n,a^{-1}_1,\dots, a^{-1}_n:a^{-1}_ia_i=1\text{ and }a^{-1}_ia_j=0,\;j\neq i\rangle\) [see \textit{M. Nivat} and \textit{J.-F. Perrot}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 271, 824-827 (1970; Zbl 0206.30304)]. The polycyclic monoid \(P_n\) is finitely generated, combinatorial, \(E^*\)-unitary, \(0\)-bisimple and congruence-free. The strong representations of the \(P_n\) are in principle easy to construct. Let \(X\) be an infinite set. Let \(X_i\), where \(1\leq i\leq n\), be pairwise disjoint subsets of \(X\) whose union is \(X\). Each subset \(X_i\) is assumed to have the same cardinality as \(X\). For each \(i\) choose a bijection \(\alpha_i\colon X\to X_i\). With these data, one can define a representation of \(S\) in \(I(X)\) by mapping \(a_i\) to \(\alpha_i\) and \(a^{-1}_i\) to \(\alpha^{-1}_i\) and then extending to the whole of \(P_n\). The authors study a particular class of strong representations, which they call affine. A string is called primitive if it is not the power of another string. The strings \(x\) and \(y\) are said to be conjugate if we can write \(x=uv\) and \(y=vu\) for some strings \(u\) and \(v\). This defines an equivalence relation on the set of \(A^*\) of all finite strings. A string is said to be a Lyndon word if it is primitive and minimal in its conjugacy class where the order is the lexicographic order. The main theorem: The primitive strings that characterize the action of \(P_2\) on \(X_p=\mathbb Z\setminus p\mathbb Z\) are precisely the reverses of the non-conjugate cycle patterns that occur in the binary representations of the fractions \(\frac{1}{p},\frac{2}{p},\dots,\frac{p-1}{p}\). In particular, the number of cycles of the action is equal to the number of non-conjugate cycle patterns. As a corollary we have that the action of \(P_2\) on \(X_p\) is transitive if and only if \(p\) is a prime and \(2\) is a primitive root modulo \(p\). If \(p=2^q-1\) for some integer \(q\geq 2\), that is, \(p\) is a Mersenne number, then the action of \(P_2\) on \(X_p\) has every possible cycle whose atomic weight is greater than unity and divides \(q\). The number of cycles with atomic weight \(k\) is equal to the number of binary Lyndon words of length \(k\). Some examples are given.