Semigroup compactifications of Zappa products (Q2514548)

Let \(G\) be a~semigroup with identity~\(e\) and let \(S\) and~\(T\) be subsemigroups of~\(G\) containing~\(e\) such that every member of~\(G\) is uniquely expressible as a~product \(st\) with \(s\in S\) and \(t\in T\). Identifying \(G\) with \(S\times T\) and writing \([s,t]=s\) and \(\langle t,s\rangle=t\), the multiplication in \(G=S\times T\) satisfies the equality \((s,t)(s',t')=(s[t,s'],\langle t,s'\rangle t')\). Conversely, if \(S\) and~\(T\) are semigroups with identities and \([\cdot,\cdot]:T\times S\to S\) and \(\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle:T\times S\to T\) are mappings having certain very natural properties, then the Zappa product \(G=S\times_{Z}T\) is the semigroup on \(S\times T\) with an identity and the multiplication defined by the above mentioned equality. This product was introduced by Zappa for groups. For semigroups it was considered by Kunze in the context of finite automata. The goal of the paper under review is to characterize compactification of a~topological Zappa product to be a~Zappa product of compactifications. The authors find sufficient and necessary conditions for various types of compactifications of semigroups including the weakly almost periodic and almost periodic compactifications.