An interesting combinatorial method in the theory of locally finite semigroups (Q2544204)

Let \(X\) be a finite set, \(X^*\) the free semigroup (without identity) on \(X\), let \(M\) be a finite semigroup, and let \(\varphi\) be an epimorphism of \(X^*\) upon \(M\). We give a simple proof of a combinatorial property of the triple \((X,\varphi,M)\), and exploit this property to get very simple proofs for these two theorems: 1. If \(\varphi\) is an epimorphism of the semigroup \(S\) upon the locally finite semigroup \(T\) such that \(\varphi^{-1}(e)\) is a locally finite subsemigroup of \(S\) for each idempotent element \(e\) of \(T\), then \(S\) is locally finite. 2. Throughout 1, replace ``locally finite'' by ``locally nilpotent''.