Proper covers for left ample semigroups. (Q2491199)

A left ample semigroup can be defined as a semigroup \((S,.)\) with a unary operation \(+\) such that there exists a \((2,1)\)-algebra embedding of \(S\) into an inverse monoid. In particular, any inverse semigroup \(I\) is left ample defining \(a^+=aa^{-1}\) for any \(a\in I\). A left ample semigroup \(S\) is called proper if \(a^+=b^+\) and \(a\rho b\) imply \(a=b\), where \(\rho\) denotes the least right cancellative monoid congruence on \(S\). A left ample semigroup \(P\) is a proper cover of \(S\) if \(P\) is proper and there exists a \((2,1)\)-homomorphism from \(P\) onto \(S\) which maps \(E(P)\) isomorphically onto \(E(S)\). Using relational resp. dual prehomomorphisms of a left ample semigroup \(S\), analogues of results on \(E\)-unitary covers of inverse semigroups due to \textit{D. B. McAlister} and \textit{N. R. Reilly} [Pac. J. Math. 68, 161-174 (1977; Zbl 0368.20043)] are proved for left ample semigroups. If a left ample semigroup \(S\) is \(E\)-dense (i.e., for any \(a\in S\) there is \(b\in S\) such that \(ab\in E(S)\)) the construction given yields \(E\)-dense proper covers of \(S\). Also, proper covers of left ample semigroups \(S\) are constructed using strict embeddings of \(S\) into factorizable left ample monoids. It is noted that in this case not all proper covers of \(S\) arise in this way. However, if \(S\) is \(E\)-dense those \(E\)-dense proper covers are characterized, which can be constructed from such embeddings.