On algebraic semigroups and monoids. II. (Q2447240)

This is the second in a series of papers of the author that develops the theory of non-affine algebraic semigroups and monoids following his part I [``On algebraic semigroups and monoids'', Fields Institute Commun. 71, 1-54 (2014)]. In this article, an algebraic semigroup \(S\) and its closed subscheme of idempotents, \(E(S)\), are studied. When \(S\) is commutative, it is shown that \(E(S)\) is finite and reduced; if in addition \(S\) is irreducible, then \(E(S)\) is contained in a smallest closed irreducible subsemigroup of \(S\), and this subsemigroup is an affine toric variety. It follows that \(E(S)\) (viewed as a partially ordered set) is the set of faces of a rational polyhedral convex cone. On the other hand, when \(S\) is an irreducible algebraic monoid, it is shown that \(E(S)\) is smooth, and its connected components are conjugacy classes of the unit group.