Generators and relations of direct products of semigroups (Q4211069)

It is well known that for monoids (and groups) \(G\) and \(H\), their direct product \(G\times H\) is finitely generated (f.g.) if and only if both \(G\) and \(H\) are finitely generated. A similar result holds for finitely presented (f.p.) semigroups. Such general results are not valid for semigroups (without identity element). The following two characterizations are proved. (1) For infinite semigroups \(S\) and \(T\), the direct product \(S\times T\) is f.g. if and only if both \(S\) and \(T\) are f.g. and \(S=S^2\) and \(T=T^2\). In addition, the condition \(S=S^2\) is equivalent to the existence of a full generating set \(A\) of \(S\). Here \(A\subseteq S\) is said to be full if \(A\subseteq A^2\). (2) For infinite semigroups \(S\) and \(T\), the direct product \(S\times T\) is f.p. if and only if both \(S\) and \(T\) are stable and \(S=S^2\) and \(T=T^2\). A semigroup \(S\) is said to be stable with respect to a finite generating set \(A\) if \(S\) has a finite presentation \(\langle A\mid R\rangle\) without critical pairs, that is, without pairs \((w_1,w_2)\), where \(w_1=w_2\) in \(S\), and for every elementary sequence \(w_1\equiv\alpha_1,\alpha_2,\dots,\alpha_k\equiv w_2\) (with respect to the presentation), there exists an index \(i\) such that \(|\alpha_i|<\min(|w_1|,|w_2|)\). Also, the authors construct a rather simple f.p. semigroup \(S\) with \(S=S^2\) such that for any f.g. \(T\) with \(T=T^2\), the direct product \(S\times T\) is not finitely presented regardless of whether \(T\) is f.p. or not. Finally, characterizations are given for the direct product \(S\times T\) to be f.g. (resp., f.p.) when \(S\) is finite and \(T\) is infinite.